Preview: Antalyaspor vs Istanbul Basaksehir - prediction, team news, lineups

Ending winless streaks will be the target for both sides when Antalyaspor host Istanbul Basaksehir in round 10 of the Turkish Super Lig on Sunday.

The hosts have failed to win any of their last four league matches (1D, 3L), while the visitors have gone five without victory (2D, 3L).

Match preview

Defensive frailties have undermined any resilience Antalyaspor have tried to show in recent weeks, with the team losing their last two games despite scoring twice in each.

New manager Erol Bulut was unable to inspire an immediate turnaround after replacing Emre Belozoglu, who departed by mutual consent during the recent international break following a disappointing start to the campaign.

The Scorpions found themselves 3-0 down at half-time against Gaziantep, and although Bachir Gueye came off the bench to score twice and reduce the deficit to 3-2, Bulut’s men could not complete the comeback.

Antalyaspor have now suffered three consecutive defeats, conceding 10 of their 16 league goals during that run, while they have failed to keep a clean sheet in seven successive outings.

In his pre-match press conference, Bulut revealed that his side had been working to improve certain aspects of their game and now had a clear system in place – however, he cautioned that it would take time for the players to fully adapt after the change in management.

Sunday’s fixture offers the hosts a real opportunity to halt their poor run, given the visitors’ form – nevertheless, the Scorpions will be wary of their recent record against the Grey Owls, having failed to win any of their last three meetings (1D, 2L) and managing just one victory in their last six competitive encounters.

That said, Basaksehir have not won any of their last three visits to this ground (2D, 1L), with both draws ending goalless and the defeat a 1-0 loss – meaning the Grey Owls have not scored in any of those games.

The chances of ending that barren run appear slim given Basaksehir’s struggles this season, as they have managed only one win in nine league matches.

This disappointing start prompted a managerial change, with Nuri Sahin replacing Cagdas Atan – although Sahin began his tenure with a victory over city rivals Fatih Karagumruk, he has failed to win any of the subsequent five matches.

Most recently, the Grey Owls were held to a goalless draw by Caykur Rizespor in their rescheduled midweek fixture, leaving them in the bottom three with just seven points.

Interestingly, Basaksehir’s only win of the season came away from home – against the league’s weakest side, Karagumruk – but three of their other four away trips have ended in defeat, alongside the recent draw at Rizespor.

Antalyaspor Turkish Super Lig form:

Istanbul Basaksehir Turkish Super Lig form:

Team News

Gueye’s brace marked his first appearance of the season for Antalyaspor, and Bulut questioned why his predecessor had not used the Senegalese forward earlier, noting that he was impressed with the player’s attitude and sharpness in training, which would see him play more regularly.

Erdogan Yesilyurt remains sidelined for the first half of the season due to injury, though there is positive news as Dario Saric returns to the squad this week.

Bulut also confirmed that Veysel Sari and Bahadir Ozturk have resumed training but are being assessed for fitness ahead of the upcoming cup match, meaning they are unlikely to feature in Sunday’s league encounter.

For Basaksehir, David Selke has missed the last eight matches through injury and is expected to remain unavailable.

Young midfielder Abbosbek Fayzullaev is also ruled out, while Amine Harit, Dogan Alemdar, Jakub Kaluzinski, and Bertug Yildirim are likewise expected to miss the trip.

Forward Eldor Shomurodov has been the standout performer for the Grey Owls, contributing four of their seven league goals and providing one assist – the Uzbek striker also leads the team for shots on target per match (1.3).

Antalyaspor possible starting lineup:

Julian; Balci, Giannetti, Dzhikiya, Paal; Dikmen, IIlcin; Omur, Safouri, Storm; van de Streek

Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:

Sengezer; Sahiner, Opoku, Ba, Operi; Ozdemir; Brnic, Crespo, Kemen, Sari; Shomurodov

We say: Antalyaspor 1-0 Istanbul Basaksehir

Antalyaspor are tipped to edge this encounter and finally end their winless run, with home advantage and attacking promise giving them the edge over a struggling Basaksehir side.

Erol Bulut’s men have shown signs of improvement going forward, and if they can tighten up defensively, they should have just enough to claim the points, as Basaksehir lack cutting edge.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.