In the final set of games in the Turkish Super Lig this year, Fenerbahce have a chance to regain their lead atop the table when they host Hatayspor on Tuesday at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul.
Over the weekend, Fener dropped to second place when Galatasaray defeated Istanbulspor 2-1, while the club from Antakya are narrowly above the relegation line, leading Sivasspor by a single point.
Match preview
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Last week, a lack of discipline on the banks of the Black Sea proved costly as Fenerbahce were reduced to 10 men early in the second half of their clash versus reigning champions Trabzonspor.
Following that expulsion, in the 57th minute, it was one-way traffic on their end of the field, and the club from Trabzon took full advantage, going in front four minutes later before scoring an insurance marker in the 11th minute of stoppage time, winning 2-0 and handing Efsane their first away defeat since early August.
That loss on Christmas Eve was also just the third time all season that Jorge Jesus saw his side fail to find the back of the net in a domestic encounter, having scored multiple times in their previous five matches in all competitions.
They return home to the friendly confines of Sukru Saracoglu Stadium unbeaten after 90 minutes in any of their competitive games played there in 2022-23.
Fenerbahce have not lost a domestic encounter at home since a 1-0 defeat last season versus Istanbul Basaksehir, leading the Super Lig in goals with 36 after 14 games.
Fener have not conceded a first-half goal to their opponents in domestic play since October, when they won a back-and-forth contest against Faith Karagumruk 5-4.
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Scoring goals has looked relatively easy for Fenerbahce this season, but the same cannot be said about their upcoming opponents, who have only managed 13 in the Super Lig so far, tied for the second-fewest behind Kasimpasa.
In their third successive campaign in the Turkish top-flight, their form has dropped each season, finishing sixth in 2020-21, then 12th the following season and currently treading dangerously close to descent into the second tier.
Volkan Demirel's men head into this encounter in search of their third road victory in this season's competition, having earned points in only two away games to date.
Their 41-year-old coach enjoyed tremendous success as a player at Fenerbahce, winning five Super Lig titles in the 2000s along with back-to-back Turkish Cups.
Early in his tenure at Hatayspor, Demirel has employed an attacking 4-3-3 formation which has been somewhat successful, as his side have points in six of their eight league games played since he took charge.
They have conceded in five successive matches in all competitions, though their previous domestic clean sheet took place away from home last month when Hatayspor defeated Istanbulspor 1-0.
Team News
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Enner Valencia, who leads the league with 13 strikes this season, came off the bench in their previous encounter, with the Ecuadorian searching for his first goal domestically since November 12th, which was the final league fixture for Fenerbahce before the World Cup break.
Joshua King has scored in two of his last three matches in all competitions, Michy Batshuayi notched a brace in a 3-1 victory versus Istanbulspor in the fifth round of the Turkish Cup and Altay Bayindir leads the league with seven clean sheets.
Ezgjan Alioski is not expected to recover from his hamstring strain until the middle of next month, and Miguel Crespo will not be available after he was booked twice versus Trabzonspor.
Bertug Yildirim scored the opener for Hatayspor this past weekend, only to have Giresunspor level the match 12 minutes later in a 1-1 draw.
Ayoub El Kaabi has a goal in five of his last eight matches in all competitions, Ze Luis has scored in two of their previous three home fixtures, while Erce Kardesler is searching for his first clean sheet since November 13th.
On Saturday, Demirel inserted three new faces into the starting 11 from the side that began their previous domestic encounter in mid-November as Ognjen Vranjes, Musa Cagiran, and Saba Lobzhanidze replaced Burak Yilmaz, Rayane Aabid and Kaan Kanak.
Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:
Bayindir; Szalai, Henrique, Aziz; Kadioglu, Arao, Yandas, Lincoln; Kahveci; King, Batshuayi
Hatayspor possible starting lineup:
Kardesler; Corekci, Yilmaz, Oksuz, Adekugbe; Aabid, Cagiran; El Kaabi, Ribeiro, Soni; Ze Luis
We say: Fenerbahce 2-1 Hatayspor
Hatayspor have made great strides under their new manager, but they are playing a Fener side in a dogfight for the Turkish title, who possess a plethora of attacking options that have caused all sorts of problems to their opponents this season.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
