Fresh off the back of an emphatic Europa League victory over Monaco, Trabzonspor take a trip to the Vodafone Arena to face Besiktas in round 10 of the Turkish Super Lig on Sunday.
Valerien Ismael's men head into the weekend winless in each of their last three encounters with the Karadeniz Firtinasi since September 2020 and will be looking to end this dry spell.
Match preview
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Besiktas returned to winning ways as they narrowly saw off Giresunspor 1-0 when the sides locked horns at the Cotanak Stadyumu last Saturday.
Turkish defender Tayyip Talha Sanuc came up trumps for the visitors as he scored the only goal of the game four minutes after the half-hour mark to hand the Cotanaklar their third defeat in five outings.
The Kara Kartallar were previously on a three-game winless run, picking up two points from a possible nine since a slender 3-2 victory over newly-promoted MKE Ankaragucu on September 4.
Besiktas have now picked up five wins, three draws and lost one of their opening nine games to collect 18 points and sit at the summit of the Super Lig standings, only above Adana Demirspor and Konyaspor on goal difference.
While Ismael's side will look to build on last weekend's victory, their next task pits them against a Trabzonspor side who are unbeaten in each of the last three meetings between the teams, claiming two wins and one draw since a 3-1 loss in September 2020.
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Trabzonspor, on the other hand, kept their hopes of securing top spot in Group H of the Europa League alive as they secured an emphatic 4-0 victory over French outfit Monaco on Thursday.
A 44th-minute own goal from Malang Sarr opened the floodgates at the Medical Park Stadyumu as Vitor Hugo, Enis Bardhi and Mahmoud Trezeguet all found the back of the net in the second half to cap off a sensational team display.
Trabzonspor have now won two and lost two of their four matches to pick up six points and sit second in the group standings, level on points with Monaco and three points behind first-placed Ferencvaros.
Abdullah Avci's men now turn their sights to the Super Lig, where they were denied a third win on the spin last Monday courtesy of an uneventful goalless draw with Kasimpasa on home turf.
Trabzonspor, who secured their first Super Lig title since 1984 last season, are currently seventh in the league table with 17 points from nine games, but could move potentially top of the pile with all three points this weekend.
The Karadeniz Firtinasi will fancy their chances of securing the desired result on Sunday as they journey to the Vodafone Arena where they are unbeaten in their last five visits, picking up two wins and three draws since a 2-1 loss in November 2016.
Team News
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Besiktas will take to the pitch without the defensive duo of Emrecan Uzunhan and former Wolverhampton Wanderers man Romain Saiss, who are both recuperating from hamstring injuries.
Salih Ucan missed the trip to Giresunspor last time out after suffering a thigh injury against Fenerbahce on October 2 and the Turkish midfielder is out of contention for Sunday's game.
Another name on the club's injury table is Canada international Atiba Hutchinson, who is yet to make an appearance this season after suffering a muscle problem in May's pre-season game against Werder Bremen.
Trabzonspor, on the other hand, will have to make do without the defensive duo of Bruno Peres and Dorukhan Tokoz, who have been sidelined through muscle and knee injuries respectively.
Bosnia-Herzegovina international Edin Visca was forced off injured just before half time against Hatayspor on August 12, while 23-year-old Serkan Asan is yet to feature this season due to a meniscus injury.
Off the back of a convincing victory over Monaco, Avci could name an unchanged back four of Huseyin Turkmen, Marc Bartra, Stefano Denswil and Eren Elmali, while Djaniny, Anastasios Bakasetas, Bardhi and Umut Bozok should handle business at the opposite end of the pitch once again.
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Destanoglu; Rosier, Sanuc, Uzunhan, Masuaku, Fernandes, Souza; Bingol, Alli, Redmond; Weghorst
Trabzonspor possible starting lineup:
Cakir; Turkmen, Bartra, Denswil, Elmali; Siopis, Hamsik; Yazici, Bakasetas, Trezeguet; Bozok
We say: Besiktas 1-1 Trabzonspor
Buoyed by their midweek performance, Trabzonspor will head into Sunday with renewed confidence as they look to move top of the league table. However, Besiktas have been solid on home turf this season, claiming three wins and one draw from their five matches. We predict a cagey affair on Sunday with both sides settling for a share of the spoils.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
