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

Fenerbahce will face Samsunspor at The New Adana Stadium on Tuesday with a place in the final of the new-look Turkish Super Cup on the line.

What used to be a one-off contest between the league champions and the cup winners now wears a new look, with four teams competing for the title.

Match preview

Fenerbahce booked their place in the semi-finals of the reformed Turkish Super Cup as a result of their second-placed finish in the 2024-25 league campaign.

The nine-time winners of this competition will be desperate for success in the Super Cup, having tried but failed to get their hands on the coveted trophy since 2014.

Since their 2014 triumph, when they beat arch-rivals Galatasaray 3-2 on penalties, the closest they have come to recording success in the competition was in 2023, when a 3-0 win was awarded to Galatasaray following a protest by Fener over off-field issues.

Although they fell to a narrow 2-1 defeat to city rivals Besiktas in their last outing in the Turkish Cup, Domenico Tedesco’s men will enter this encounter in a buoyant mood, having gone on a 16-game unbeaten run across all competitions, with 10 of those ending in victories for the Yellow-Navy Blues.

Nevertheless, Fener will approach this encounter with some caution, as Tuesday's opponents have been a bogey side for Fenerbahce.

Indeed, Samsunspor have proved their mettle against their more illustrious opponents, remaining unbeaten against Fenerbahce since August 2023.

However, the form of the Red Lightning is a cause for concern, with only two victories (D3, L5) in 10 fixtures across all competitions.

That said, they can draw some confidence from their 2-1 win over Eyupspor in the Cup, which was their first since November 9.

Samsunspor ensured their place in the semi-final of this competition, having finished third in the previous league campaign. However, with their current form, they may not reach the heights of last season.

Currently sixth in the Turkish league standings with 25 points, and 17 off the pace, Thomas Reis and his charges will be well aware of the fact that this represents their best chance of claiming silverware in the current campaign.

Fenerbahce form (all competitions):

Samsunspor form (all competitions):

Team News

Fenerbahce are expected to be without Archie Brown, who is sidelined with an unspecified injury, while right-back Nelson Semedo could also miss out as he is recuperating from an issue.

Forward Youssef En-Nesyri and Nene Dorgeles are away at the Africa Cup of Nations, representing Morocco and Mali respectively.

Brazilian forward Talisca is also a major doubt for this encounter, having been left out of their Turkish Cup fixture against Besiktas.

Meanwhile, long-term absentee Cetin Bedirhan, who has been on the mend from a serious knee injury, will continue his spell on the sidelines, with this match coming too soon for him.

Similarly, Tanguy Coulibaly (knee) will not be in Reis’s plans for Tuesday’s encounter, while Afonso Sousa (ankle) is also ruled out.

Furthermore, Olivier Ntcham remains doubtful for this contest, as he will have to pass a late fitness test to be considered for the squad.

Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:

Cetin; Mercan, Oosterwolde, Skriniar, Muldur; Elmaz, Yuksek; Aydin, Asensio, Szymanski; Akturkoglu

Samsunspor possible starting lineup:

Posiadala; Tomasson, Van Drongelen, Borevkovic, Mendes; Makoumbu, BulBul, Holse, Aydogdu, Kilinc; Marius

We say: Fenerbahce 2-0 Samsunspor

Fenerbahce have the better form going into this encounter and, considering the unimpressive form of Samsunspor in recent months, smart money will be on Fener to win this one, and we predict a 2-0 scoreline in favour of Fenerbahce.

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