Two of the most in-form sides in the Turkish Super Lig go head to head on Sunday when Fenerbahce square off against Fatih Karagumruk at the Ulker Fenerbahce Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.

The Kara Kirmizi will head into the game seeking to get one over the hosts having failed to taste victory in any of the last four meetings between the sides since 2020.

Match preview

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Fenerbahce failed to end their winless run in the Istanbul derby as they were held to a 1-1 draw by rivals Besiktas when the sides squared off at the Vodafone Park Arena last Sunday.

After falling behind to Filip Novak's sixth-minute opener, former Leicester City man Rachid Ghezzal calmly converted from 12 yards to force a share of the spoils and extend Besiktas' unbeaten run over the visitors to five games.

Following that result, Fenerbahce are now unbeaten in 12 straight Super Lig outings, picking up 10 wins and two draws since a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Istanbul Basaksehir on February 5.

This blistering run has been down to an impressive job done at both ends of the pitch as Ismail Kartal's men have scored 32 goals and conceded nine since their defeat to Basaksehir.

Fenerbahce have now won 20, drawn nine and lost seven of their 36 games this season to collect 69 points and sit second in the Super Lig table, five points above third-placed Konyaspor just outside the Champions League qualification spot with two games left to play.

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Elsewhere, Fatih Karagumruk made it three consecutive wins for the first time this season when they saw off Goztepe 3-1 on home turf last Saturday.

After Makana Baku cancelled out Fabio Borini's 31st-minute opener, Emre Mor restored the hosts' lead in the 51st minute before defender Burak Bekaroglu put the results beyond doubt with his first goal of the season.

Fatih Karagumruk are now unbeaten in each of their most recent fine outings, picking up 13 points from a possible 15 since a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Galatasaray on April 2.

With 56 points from 36 games, Atilay Canel's side are currently sixth in the league standings, two points off fifth-placed Alanyaspor and one above both sixth-placed Besiktas.

While Fatih Karagumruk will look to keep the juggernaut rolling as the season draws to a close, next up is an opposing side who they have failed to defeat in any of the last four meetings between the sides, losing twice and picking up two draws since August 2020.

Team News

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Fenerbahce remain without the duo of former Arsenal man Mesut Ozil and 27-year-old Ozan Tufan, who were suspended by the Turkish side back in March.

On the injury front, Kartal will be unable to call upon the midfield duo of Miguel Crespo and Dimitrios Pelkas, who have been sidelined since last April.

Hungarian defender Attila Szalai is also set to sit out his fourth consecutive game after coming off with a muscle problem in the friendly clash against Shakhtar Donetsk on April 19.

As for Fatih Karagumruk, Turkish midfielder Kerim Frei will play no part in this weekend's encounter as he continues his long road to full fitness after picking up a severe injury last October.

He is joined on the Kara Kirmizi's injury table by fellow countryman Rayyan Baniya, who is currently recuperating from a muscle injury, while 35-year-old defender Ervin Zukanovic misses out through an ankle problem.

Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:
Bayindir; Sangare, Kim, Tisserand, Kadioglu; Gustavo, Zajc; Kahveci, Yandas, Rossi; Dursun

Fatih Karagumruk possible starting lineup:
Viviano; Biraschi, Bekaroglu, Luckassen, Erkin; Biglia, Borini, Ugur; Musa, Pesic, Mor

We say: Fenerbahce 2-1 Fatih Karagumruk

Sunday's game sees two of the most in-form sides in the division go head to head and we expect a thrilling contest with plenty of goalmouth action. Fenerbahce are unbeaten in 11 consecutive league outings and we predict they will maintain this fine run and claim a slender win in this one.

Written by
Joshua Ojele

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