Preview: Antalyaspor vs Fatih Karagumruk - prediction, team news, lineups

Antalyaspor will welcome newly-promoted Fatih Karagumruk to the New Antalya Stadium on Saturday, looking to bounce back from their first setback of the campaign.

Emre Belozoglu’s side suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat against Trabzonspor last time out, ending what had been a promising start to the season.

Match preview

Having collected six points from their opening two matches, the Scorpions will be eager to return to winning ways against a side still struggling to adapt to life back in the Turkish top flight.

Antalyaspor endured a difficult campaign last season, finishing 15th with 44 points, their lowest league placing since 2021-22, and they now seem determined to avoid a repeat of that.

They opened the current season with back-to-back victories over Kasimpasa and newly-promoted Genclerbirligi, results that suggested a turnaround in form, though the loss to Trabzonspor threw a spanner in their works.

Now, they aim to build consistency, particularly at home, where they already claimed an opening-day victory against Kasimpasa, and encouragingly, the last time these two sides met in the Super Lig, each won their respective home fixtures, something Antalyaspor will hope repeats itself this weekend.

Karagumruk, meanwhile, have endured a tough start on their return to the Super Lig, having lost their opening two matches, falling 3-0 to reigning champions Galatasaray and then 2-0 to Goztepe.

With one fewer game played, they sit bottom of the standings due to their goal difference, and are one of four teams yet to collect a single point in this Super Lig campaign.

Their last top-flight campaign in 2023-24 ended with relegation on 40 points, and with early signs already looking ominous, they will need to turn things around quickly to avoid a repeat scenario.

However, history does not favour Karagumruk heading into this clash, having never beaten Antalyaspor away in the top division, losing on every visit to the New Antalya Stadium, making this weekend’s clash an uphill battle mentally and based on form.

Antalyaspor Turkish Super Lig form:

Fatih Karagumruk Turkish Super Lig form:

Team News

Antalyaspor remain without Erdogan Yesilyurt, who is still recovering from a cruciate ligament injury and is unlikely to return until next month.

The Scorpions will again turn to new arrival Nikola Storm, who has already shown he can be the match-winner, having found the net in both of their wins so far this season.

Fatih Karagumruk will miss Marius Tresor Doh, who serves the final match of his suspension after his red card against Galatasaray.

Manager Marcel Licka has the rest of his squad available, and it remains to be seen whether he sticks with his latest tactical adjustment or reverts to a more conservative shape, with Tiago Cukur expected to continue leading the line in any case.

Antalyaspor possible starting lineup:

Yigiter; Paal, Dzhikiya, Sari, Van de Streek; Dikmen, Kaluzinski; Omur, Storm, Vural; Cvancara

Fatih Karagumruk possible starting lineup:

Grbic; Kurukalıp, Balkovec, Kurucuk, Cankaya; Ozcan, Kalpakli, Johnson; Sivri, Cukur, Serginho

We say: Antalyaspor 2-0 Fatih Karagumruk

Antalyaspor have shown efficiency in front of goal in their opening two games, while Fatih Karagumruk are still finding their feet in the Super Lig.

Given their solid start and home advantage, the Scorpions look well-placed to edge this encounter against a visiting team still looking for the right balance to navigate life in the top flight.

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