Preview:Antalyaspor vs Besiktas - prediction, team news, lineups

Antalyaspor will host Besiktas in the Turkish Super Lig on Saturday, aiming to record three consecutive victories across all competitions for the first time this season.

The Scorpions come into this encounter buoyed by recent success, having followed up a comfortable cup win with a hard-fought league triumph, and will look to build on that growing momentum in front of their home supporters.

Match preview

Antalyaspor endured a difficult spell earlier in the campaign, suffering a five-match winless run in the league (D1, L4), including four successive defeats in which they conceded 14 goals and scored only four.

It was during that dismal stretch that the club dismissed Emre Belozoglu, replacing him with Erol Bulut – though the new manager’s early days were also rocky, as he lost his opening two league games – 3-2 at Gaziantep and 4-0 to Istanbul Basaksehir – but things have since taken a positive turn.

A 3-0 Turkish Cup victory over lower-tier Bursaspor marked the start of a revival, followed by a narrow but morale-boosting 1-0 league win against Eyupspor.

Those results have lifted spirits, although Bulut caused a stir by alleging the presence of a “mole” within his squad leaking tactical details to opponents, a traitor he has since vowed to root out, insisting there is no place for disloyalty in his team.

The manager’s focus now turns to a difficult test against Besiktas, a side Antalyaspor have beaten just once in their last five meetings across all competitions (D1, L3).

The Black Eagles have visited the New Antalya Stadium twice this year – earning a 1-1 league draw and a 2-1 Turkish Cup victory – and will look to extend that unbeaten streak.

Besiktas arrive in Antalya on uncertain footing, having failed to win their last two league matches – drawing 1-1 with Kasimpasa before a 3-2 home defeat to Fenerbahce in the Istanbul derby.

That derby loss was particularly painful, as the hosts surrendered a 2-0 lead inside 22 minutes, with the turning point being when captain Orkun Kokcu was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Edson Alvarez in the 25th minute.

With a man down, Besiktas collapsed, conceding twice before half-time and eventually losing to a late Fenerbahce winner in the 83rd minute.

Sergen Yalcin’s second spell in charge has been far from ideal, as his return has yielded only 14 points from 10 Super Lig matches — the lowest tally for any Besiktas manager in the past three seasons, alongside Fernando Santos.

The coach will be desperate to steady the ship and avoid extending his current winless run to three league games, though his team can draw encouragement from their four-match unbeaten away streak (W2, D2).

Antalyaspor Turkish Super Lig form:

Antalyaspor form (all competitions):

Besiktas Turkish Super Lig form:

Team News

Erdogan Yesilyurt remains sidelined for the first half of the season, while Ramzi Safuri misses out through suspension after accumulating yellow cards.

Bahadir Ozturk has resumed training but faces a late fitness test, whereas goalkeeper Julian Cuesta continues to be unavailable.

Ivorian forward Yohan Boli, who netted his first league goal of the campaign in the victory over Eyupspor, is expected to keep his place in the starting XI.

Besiktas, on the other hand, are plagued by absences, as Rafa Silva and Necip Uysal are sidelined with injuries, while Gabriel Paulista has been granted special leave.

Midfielder Demir Ege Tiknaz remains out with a knee problem, and both captain Kokcu and defender Emirhan Topcu are suspended.

All eyes will be on Turkish winger Cengiz Under, who has been a bright spark in attack and leads the team for shots on target per match (1.6).

Antalyaspor possible starting lineup:

Yigiter; Balci, Giannetti, Dzhikiya, Karakoc; Ceesay, Saric; Omur, Safouri, van de Streek; Boli

Besiktas possible starting lineup:

Destanoglu; Sazdagi, Uduokhai, Djalo, Yilmaz; Ucan, Ndidi; Cerny, Rashica, Under; Abraham

We say: Antalyaspor 1-0 Besiktas

Antalyaspor appear to be turning a corner under Bulut, and with renewed confidence and home advantage, they may just edge this contest.

Besiktas remain inconsistent and are hampered by suspensions and injuries, which could prove costly against the hosts who have tightened up defensively in recent games and will look to frustrate the visitors before striking on the break.

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