Two sides fighting at opposite ends of the Turkish Super Lig table will do battle on Sunday, as Besiktas welcome Giresunspor to Vodafone Arena.
Thanks to four victories on the bounce, the hosts sit third and just a single point behind second-placed Fenerbahce, while their visitors find themselves 16th but only above the drop zone by the barest of margins.
Match preview
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Besiktas head into the weekend in a positive run of form, having now put four consecutive victories together after a dip in form saw them fall away from league leaders Galatasaray.
After accumulating 38 points from 19 league games, the Black Eagles suffered a blip, as draws against Fatih Karagumruk and Antalyaspor came either side of an unexpected defeat to Sivasspor.
Senol Gunes's side have since bounced back in style with four consecutive league victories, firstly ending their three-game winless run with a triumph over Ankaragucu, before making it two on the bounce with a 2-0 win away at Istanbul Basaksehir.
The run was extended to three victories as the Black Eagles defeated Istanbulspor 3-1 on home turf, courtesy of goals from Cenk Tosun, Vincent Aboubakar and Nathan Redmond, before they made it four consecutive three-point hauls and narrowed the gap to Fenerbahce last weekend, dishing out a 4-2 beating to the second-placed side as Tosun netted a brace before Redmond and Aboubakar sealed the away win with second-half goals.
Thanks to those four consecutive victories, Gunes's men have now moved back within a point of second-placed Fenerbahce, who they inflicted a defeat on last weekend, and although they remain 11 points behind leaders Galatasaray, the Black Eagles will hope to at least move back into the top two with a fifth straight triumph this weekend.
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They meet a Giresunspor side who will be desperate for a victory in their survival bid, having recently dropped into a dangerous position at the bottom end of the Turkish top flight.
With 19 points and five victories on the board from their opening 15 league outings, Hakan Keles's side looked set for a safe finish, but they have since failed to add another notch to their wins column in 10 further attempts, while only adding five points to their tally in the process.
Following back-to-back defeats and two consecutive draws, the Cotanaklar would suffer three further losses on the bounce, falling short against Galatasaray, Kasimpasa and Kayserispor, and they now head onto this weekend on the back of three draws, firstly ending the losing run with a goalless stalemate away at Konyaspor.
Keles's men then drew 2-2 at home to Fatih Karagumruk, before their most recent contest at home to Alanyaspor finished with the same scoreline last weekend, as they looked set to fall to a 2-0 defeat, only to force a share of the spoils late on as Dogan Can Davas halved the deficit in the 84th minute before Brandley Kuwas converted a penalty in the dying embers.
As a result of their tough run of form, Giresunspor have now dropped to 16th spot in the Turkish top flight, and only leading 17th-placed Istanbulspor in the relegation places on goal difference, they will be desperate to reverse their fortunes and put a run of positive results together to increase their cushion, albeit in a particularly difficult contest this weekend.
Team News
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Besiktas will be without defender Welinton on Sunday after he was sent off in their victory over Fenerbahce, and although the Brazilian was only brought on from the bench, the Black Eagles are unable to field an unchanged back four as Tayyip Talha Sanuc picked up a season-ending injury in that game, with Romain Saiss likely to join Onur Bulut, Omar Colley and Arthur Masuaku in his absence.
With Dele Alli also absent from recent squads, we anticipate an unchanged midfield unit of Salih Ucan, Gedson Fernandes and Amir Hadziahmetovic, while Nathan Redmond is likely to come in on the right-hand side from the outset having found the net off the bench in consecutive games while also providing three assists in the Fenerbahce victory.
Vincent Aboubakar will again lead the line, having netted four goals in 8 Turkish Super Lig appearances since his return to the club this season, while Cenk Tosun sits second in the league's scoring charts with 12 goals so far this term and will provide plenty more threat alongside the Cameroon international.
After their goals off the bench to force a draw at home to Alanyaspor, midfielder Dogan Can Davas and winger Brandley Kuwas will be fighting to come in from the start for Giresunspor this weekend, although Borja Sainz's position on the left flank is relatively nailed down having netted six league goals so far this season.
Their line will be led by Riad Bajic, who has been a key man since his arrival from Udinese in the summer, hitting the net nine times in 25 appearances in the Turkish top flight.
Alexis Perez is a mainstay in defence for Keles's side, and he should again be joined by Ramon Arias in the middle of a back four this weekend.
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Gunok; Bulut, Colley, Saiss, Masuaku; Hadziahmetovic; Redmond, Ucan, Fernandes, Tosun; Aboubakar
Giresunspor possible starting lineup:
Kaplan; Bilazer, Arias, Perez, Uludag; Saglam, Mejia; Serginho, Savicevic, Sainz; Bajic
We say: Besiktas 3-0 Giresunspor
With the hosts in fine form and possessing more quality than their visitors, who are winless in 10 matches, we can only envisage a comfortable victory for the Black Eagles this weekend.
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Top tip
Sam Varley
