Besiktas vs Fatih Karagumruk - prediction, team news, lineups

Fresh from a dominant victory to reach the Turkiye Kupasi semi-finals, Besiktas return to league action on Monday when they play host to Fatih Karagumruk in round 31 of the Turkish Super Lig.

While the visitors know anything less than a win at the Tupras Stadium will all but end their survival hopes, the Black Eagles will be looking to keep their slim chances of securing Europa League qualification alive.

Match preview

Besiktas turned in a dominant team display in the Turkiye Kupasi quarter-finals on Thursday when they made light work of Alanyaspor to secure a 3-0 victory at the Tupras Stadium.

El Bilal Toure grabbed his first goal since January with a 17th-minute effort to send the home side on their way before Hyeon-gyu Oh and Orkun Kokcu netted in a late two-minute spell to send Alanyaspor packing.

With Besiktas eyeing European qualification, head coach Sergen Yalcin will hope the cup result can inspire a run of results down the decisive final stretch of the season, having lost two of their most recent three matches.

Since going unbeaten in 15 of their 16 league games between November 8 and March 19, the Black Eagles have suffered back-to-back away defeats against Fenerbahce and Samsunspor, with a 4-2 home win over Alanyaspor sandwiched between the two losses.

Despite their recent slump, Besiktas are well on course to secure a spot in Europe next season, as they sit fourth in the Super Lig standings with 55 points from 30 matches, four points behind fifth-placed Istanbul Basaksehir just below the Conference League qualifying spot with four games to go.

At the opposite end of the table, Fatih Karagumruk suffered a fresh blow in their fight against the drop last weekend when they fell to a 2-1 defeat against 10-man Eyupspor at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.

In a game where Seyfettin Anil Yasar received his marching orders, Serginho struck in the 16th minute to put the hosts in front, but a 39th-minute own goal from Matias Kranevitter put Eypspor back in the tie before Mateusz Legowski completed the comeback on the stroke of half time.

Having suffered a 3-0 hammering at the hands of Konyaspor a fortnight ago, Fatih Karagumruk have now lost three of their most recent four matches while managing just two wins from their nine league games since mid February.

This poor run of results has seen Aleksandar Stanojevic’s men plunge to the bottom of the Super Lig table with 20 points from 30 matches, putting them in serious risk of an immediate return to the second tier, having gained promotion last season.

While victory on Monday could put Karagumruk within five points of safety, they are up against an opposing side whom they have failed to get the better of in any of their last eight meetings, including three defeats from their most recent three encounters since August 2023.

Besiktas Turkish Super Lig form:

Besiktas form (all competitions):

Fatih Karagumruk Turkish Super Lig form:

Team News

Besiktas will have to cope without the duo of Ersin Destanoglu and Panamanian defender Michael Murillo, who are suspended for Monday’s tie due to accumulated yellow cards.

On the injury front, Yalcin will be unable to call upon the services of 25-year-old midfielder Kartal Yilmaz, who has been ruled out after sustaining a torn ankle ligament.

Meanwhile, Fatih Karagumruk will have to cope without Gabonese international Shavy Warren Babicka, who was forced off injured midway through the first half against Eyupspor last Saturday.

Daniele Verde was substituted out in the second half against Eyupspor with an injury and the 29-year-old striker is also a major doubt for Monday’s visitors, while Joao Camacho continues his long road to full fitness.

They are joined on the club’s injury table by the duo of Turkish forward Ahmet Sivri and 18-year-old Moussa Kone, who both continue their spells on the sidelines.

Besiktas possible starting lineup:

Llach; Sazdagi, Agbadou, Uduokhai, Yilmaz: Ndidi; Cerny, Olaitan, Kokcu, Toure; Oh

Fatih Karagumruk possible starting lineup:

Grbic; Mladenovic, Lichnovsky, Biraschi, Esgaio; Elmaz, Kranevitter, Cukur; Serginho, Larsson, Kalayci

We say: Besiktas 2-0 Fatih Karagumruk

While Karagumruk will be looking to keep their survival hopes alive with a win here, they have their work cut out against a Besiktas side, who have been rock-solid at home in recent weeks.

Stanojevic’s men are statistically the worst side on the road this season, having picked up just five points from 15 away matches, and we see them struggling at the Tupras Stadium, where they have failed to taste victory since May 2021.

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