Istanbulspor will compete in their first home game of the Turkish Super Lig when they welcome Kayserispor to Necmi̇ Kadioglu Sports Complex on Friday.
After both teams drew on the opening day of the campaign, they will each be hoping to go one better this time around to try and secure their first victory of the season.
Match preview
Istanbulspor were left frustrated on the opening day of the Turkish Super Lig as they were held to a 1-1 draw with Konyaspor, despite the fact that Ibrahim Yilmaz gave them a one-goal in the sixth minute.
The dream start was matched up by a nightmare finish as Ali Yasar and Okan Erdogan both ended up being sent off within seven minutes of each other.
Fatih Tekke's men were put under a lot of pressure in the final 10 minutes of the game due to only having nine men, and they were ultimately not able to hang on to the win.
Even though Konyaspor also ended up being down to 10 men, they were able to push and earn a point as Sokol Cikalleshi scored in the 86th minute of the game.
Concentration until the final minutes will be crucial for Istanbulspor this time around if they want to improve upon the one point they were able to secure on the opening day.
The visitors will come into this game with some confidence based on the fact that they defeated their opponents the last time they met, which was only a month ago.
The two teams met in a pre-season friendly and it was Kayserispor that came out on top of a five-goal thriller with three goals in the opening 25 minutes of that match ultimately sealing the deal.
An electric start like that would be an ideal situation for Cagdas Atan, especially after his men failed to score a goal on the opening day of the season.
Kayserispor shared the points with the 2022-23 Super Lig winners Galatasaray, which was not a bad result considering the dominance that their opponents showcased last season.
However, Atan will be aware that his team struggled defensively on the road last season with only three teams conceding more goals away from home, which is a situation they will want to improve to try and move up the division this time around.
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Team News
The hosts will be without both Yasar and Erdogan on Friday after both men were sent off on the opening day, which will force a couple of changes to the starting lineup this time around.
Losing two defenders to the back four is a real blow for Istanbulspor, but it could open the door for Racine Coly to step in and get some game time.
Gokhan Sazdagi will look to expose the defensive changes of the hosts this weekend, as he is likely going to lead the line as a lone striker once again this weekend.
However, Kayserispor will be without Ali Karimi as he is on the sidelines with a thigh injury at the moment, and is not expected back until September at the earliest.
Istanbulspor possible starting lineup:
Jensen; Duhaney, Yazgili, Coly, Yasar; Vorobjovas; Sarikaya, Rroca, Topalli, Ethemi; Gultekin
Kayserispor possible starting lineup:
Bayazit; Kocaman, Hosseini, Kolovetsios; Thiam, Attamah, Kemen, Carole; Mane, Cardoso; Sazdagi
We say: Istanbulspor 1-1 Kayserispor
Both teams were able to kick-start the new campaigns by sharing a point, and another draw could be likely heading into this game.
The visitors struggled last season on the road, which is something that they will need to be careful with, but the hosts may just lack the cutting edge to truly punish them.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
