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

Galatasaray will aim to preserve their perfect start to the Turkish Super Lig season when they travel to Eyupspor at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium on Saturday.

Cimbom have won all four of their opening fixtures, scoring a league-high 13 goals while conceding only once, the joint-fewest in the division.

Match preview

Galatasaray are chasing a fourth consecutive Super Lig crown, and their performances so far suggest they may be operating at an even higher level this season.

Okan Buruk’s men swept aside Gaziantep and Fatih Karagumruk with 3-0 victories, crushed Kayserispor 4-0, and beat Caykur Rizespor 3-1 before the international break.

Their dominance is underlined by a five-goal gap over the league’s next-best attack despite early-season injury issues, with key forwards such as Mauro Icardi and Victor Osimhen missing games but goals still flowing from across the squad.

The champions’ last trip to Eyupspor ended in a 5-1 win, though two of those scorers, Alvaro Morata, who has since departed, and the injured Osimhen, will not feature this time.

Eyupspor, meanwhile, held Galatasaray to a surprise 2-2 draw in their first-ever meeting last season, but much has changed since then.

The Istanbul-based side’s spirited displays faded as that campaign wore on, and they have struggled to rediscover their edge under head coach Selcuk Sahin, who replaced Arda Turan in May.

Sahin’s men opened this season with back-to-back defeats to Konyaspor and Besiktas but have shown signs of improvement, beating Alanyaspor 2-1 and earning a goalless draw with Istanbul Basaksehir.

Eyupspor’s only victory this season came at home, but three defeats in their last five home matches suggest Saturday’s clash with the champions may be a step too far.

Eyupspor Turkish Super Lig form:

Eyupspor form (all competitions):

Galatasaray Turkish Super Lig form:

Galatasaray form (all competitions):

Team News

Eyupspor have a full squad available, with winger Halil Akbunar and midfielder Yalcin Kayan returning from injury to feature last time out.

Sahin is expected to retain the back-three system he adopted after the opening-day loss, with Luccas Claro, loanee Nihad Mujakic, and Robin Yalcin forming the defensive line.

Summer signing Umut Bozok, still searching for his first league goal, should continue to lead the attack for the home side.

Galatasaray suffered a setback during the international break as Osimhen picked up an ankle ligament injury in Nigeria’s 1-0 win over Rwanda.

The record signing is expected to also miss two further league fixtures and Champions League matches against Eintracht Frankfurt and Liverpool, with a return date set for the end of this month.

In his absence, Icardi is set to take over as the main striker, with Baris Yilmaz providing additional cover.

Newly-signed goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir, who arrived late in the window from Trabzonspor, could make his debut between the posts.

Eyupspor possible starting lineup:

Marcos; Yalcin, Claro, Mujakic; Calegari, Demirbay, Kayan, Gurler; Sesler, Dragus; Bozok

Galatasaray possible starting lineup:

Cakir; Sallai, Sanchez, Bardakci, Jakobs; Torreira, Sara; Sane, Akgun, Elmali; Icardi

We say: Eyupspor 0-3 Galatasaray

Galatasaray still boast ample attacking quality despite Osimhen’s absence, and that firepower is likely to overwhelm an Eyupspor side that have struggled to replicate the defensive discipline they showed at the start of last season.

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