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

Eyupspor host Gaziantep at Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stadyumu on Sunday in the second round of the Turkish Super Lig season, with both sides looking for their first victory of the new campaign.

Ozhan Pulat's men began with a narrow defeat at Besiktas, while the visitors were held to a 1-1 draw by Alanyaspor in their opening fixture.

Match preview

Eyupspor were beaten 1-0 by Besiktas on the opening weekend, with Vaclav Cerny scoring the only goal of the game in the first half.

The scoreline was respectable for Pulat's side, who were reduced to 10 men in the second half, but the underlying numbers highlighted how difficult they found it to threaten their opponents, with the Eyup side managing just one shot on target from four attempts throughout the match.

That attacking weakness was one of the main problems during their disappointing 2025-26 campaign, when Eyupspor finished 15th with 33 points from 34 matches, scoring just 33 goals, with only three teams finding the net fewer times across the season.

Their home record was similarly underwhelming, as five wins, four draws and eight defeats left them with just 19 points on home soil, the lowest tally recorded by any team in the division.

Eyupspor can nevertheless take confidence from their recent record against the visitors, having won three of the four competitive meetings between the sides, including both encounters last season, picking up a 2-1 victory away from home in November followed by an emphatic 3-0 triumph in April.

Gaziantep, meanwhile, began their campaign with a 1-1 draw at home to Alanyaspor, with Deian Sorescu equalising after Ruan had given the visitors the lead.

The Falcons enjoyed the greater share of possession and territory, controlling 61% of the ball and attempting 13 shots compared with Alanyaspor's 11; however, that dominance did not translate into a significant advantage in chance quality, recording 1.28 expected goals compared with 1.25 for their opponents.

The visitors will hope their inability to turn possession into clear chances does not prove costly again, particularly given their poor record at this ground, having lost both of their previous visits to Eyupspor, conceding three goals on each occasion while failing to score in their most recent meeting.

Their overall away record from last season also offers room for improvement, having lost eight of their 17 away matches, winning just four times – they will be hoping for a stronger showing on the road this term.

Eyupspor Turkish Super Lig form:

Gaziantep Turkish Super Lig form:

Team News

Eyupspor will be without David Costa, who is suspended after receiving a red card in the defeat to Besiktas, making him the hosts' only confirmed absentee.

Pulat is otherwise expected to retain the basic structure used last weekend, with Ahmed Abdullahi likely to lead the line again as the hosts look for greater attacking threat.

Gaziantep have no suspension concerns heading into the match but remain without Badou Ndiaye, who is continuing his recovery from an injury suffered last season.

The visitors are expected to line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Drissa Camara and Kacper Kozlowski operating behind the central striker, with summer signing Trivante Stewart leading the attack.

Eyupspor possible starting lineup:

Moldovan; Calegari, El Yamiq, Jules, Ulvan; Taskin; Pinta, Sabiri, Raux Yao, Pintor; Abdullahi

Gaziantep possible starting lineup:

Tobiasz; Meleke, Abena, Perez; Sorescu, Maxim, Gidado, Stefan; Camara, Kozlowski; Stewart

We say: Eyupspor 1-1 Gaziantep

We expect a tighter contest than the 3-0 meeting between these sides in April, with Eyupspor likely to sit deeper while Gaziantep see more of the ball.

Neither side has shown enough attacking consistency to suggest a high-scoring encounter, making a draw the most likely outcome at Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stadyumu.

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