Preview: Eyupspor vs Fenerbahce - prediction, team news, lineups

Eyupspor and Fenerbahce will go head-to-head when they clash in their round 17 Turkish Super Lig fixture on Saturday.

The visitors will come into this contest off the back of a 4–0 victory in their last outing, while the home side will be looking to get back to winning ways after two matches without a victory.

Match preview

Orhan Ak got off to a great start after his Eyupspor appointment in October, registering a 2–0 victory over Kasımpasa, but his team have been inconsistent in the aftermath of that result.

Following morale-boosting consecutive victories in the league and cup competitions against Gaziantep and Cankaya FK, the home side have failed to earn a win in their last two matches, recording a draw and a loss respectively.

Currently mired in relegation trouble, sitting 17th and two places away from safety, the home side will be desperate to move away from the drop zone.

However, if they are harbouring hopes of staging an escape, they have to improve on their attacking record, which has seen them score a league-low 10 goals across 16 fixtures.

A victory for the home side will take them out of the relegation zone, provided that teams in and around them in the standings do not get favourable results this weekend.

Meanwhile, Fenerbahce entered this fixture with a 15-game unbeaten run, winning 10 and drawing five fixtures in that sequence.

With only three points separating them from Galatasaray, who are top of the standings, the Yellow-Navy Blues will have their eyes set on moving to the top position.

The away side will be confident ahead of this weekend’s fixture with 36 goals scored, the same as Galatasaray.

Moreover, the visitors are unbeaten on the road, with four victories and three draws in their last seven league fixtures on rival territory.

With Galatasaray not playing until Sunday, the visitors could temporarily sit atop the standings with a victory against the struggling hosts.

Eyupspor Turkish Super Lig form:

Eyupspor form (all competitions):

Fenerbahce Turkish Super Lig form:

Fenerbahce form (all competitions):

Team News

Ahead of this fixture, the hosts have a few injury issues, which will see the likes of Can Bayırkan and Luccas Claro watch proceedings from the sidelines.

Lucas Calegari has also struggled with his fitness in recent times, and he remains doubtful for Saturday’s fixture.

Other than the aforementioned players, Orhan Ak has pretty much all the regulars available for selection this weekend.

For the away side, there is a long list of injured players, but their squad depth gives Domenico Tedesco some leeway.

That said, Nelson Semedo is out with an unspecified injury, while Caglar Soyuncu is currently stricken with a knee injury.

Meanwhile, Mert Yandas is suspended for this encounter, and he will not be in Tedesco’s plans for the weekend.

It is pertinent to state that they will miss the services of Youssef En-Nesyri, who is away with Morocco for the Africa Cup of Nations, as is Dorgeles Nene, who is with Mali for the same competition.

Eyupspor possible starting lineup:

Marco Felipe; Mujakic, Ortakaya, Yalcin, Gurler; Stepanenko, Demirbay; Ampem, Akbaba, Dragus; Bozok

Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:

Ederson; Skriniar, Muldur, Oosterwolde, Mercan; Fred, Alvarez; Asensio, Talisca, Akturkoglu; Duran

We say: Eyupspor 1-3 Fenerbahce

The away side are enjoying a good run of form at the moment, and their away record also suggests that they can get the job done against the struggling hosts.

Given their quality and the gulf in class between both sides, we reckon Fenerbahce will claim a 3-1 win.

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