Hatayspor will be seeking to move out of the relegation zone on Friday when they visit NEF Stadyumu to face high-flying Galatasaray in round 19 of the Turkish Super Lig.
The home side, on the other hand, currently hold a four-point lead at the top of the league table and will head into the weekend in search of a seventh consecutive win across all competitions.
Match preview
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Galatasaray made light work of fierce rivals Fenerbahce in a thrilling Intercontinental Derby showdown as they cruised to a 3-0 victory at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.
In a game where Irfan Can Kahveci received his marching orders, Sergio Oliveira, Kerem Akturkoglu and Paris Saint-Germain loanee Mauro Icardi all found the back of the net to sink their Istanbul rivals.
Since a 2-1 friendly defeat against Lazio on December 13, Okan Buruk's men have picked up six wins from a possible six, a run which saw them reach the round of 16 of the Turkiye Kupasi.
The Aslanlar are also on a run of seven consecutive victories in the Super Lig, scoring a staggering 20 goals and conceding four goals since October's 2-2 draw with Alanyaspor.
Galatasaray have now picked up 12 wins, three draws and lost two of their 17 matches to collect 39 points and sit top of the league standings, four points above second-placed Fenerbahce.
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Elsewhere, Hatayspor failed to move out of the relegation zone as they were held to an uneventful goalless draw by fellow strugglers Antalyaspor when the sides met last Saturday.
In a drab contest at the New Hatay Stadium, both sides were guilty of a lethargic display at the attacking end of the pitch where they failed to pose any real goalscoring threat before settling for a share of the spoils.
Hatayspor are currently on a four-game winless run in the league, picking up three draws and losing once while they have managed just one victory in seven outings since their final week of October.
With 17 points from 18 matches, Volkan Demirel's men are currently 16th in the Super Lig standings, level on points with 15th-placed Antalyaspor, who have one game in hand.
Hatayspor's underwhelming first half of the season has been owing to their struggles away from home and their lack of string in attack, where they currently hold the league's worst record with 15 goals scored so far.
While the Guneyin Yildizi will be looking to improve on the record and rise out of the drop zone, this weekend's game sees them journey to the NEF Stadyumu where they are winless in their four visits since 2019, losing three and claiming one draw.
Team News
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Galatasaray will be without the defensive duo of Emre Tasdemir and Mathias Ross Jensen, who have been sidelined through muscle and ligament injuries respectively.
Turkish youngster Kazimcan Karatas has missed each of the last three matches through a muscle problem and the 19-year-old will play no part in this weekend's matchup.
Former Napoli forward Dries Mertens will serve a one-match suspension after crossing the yellow card threshold with his booking in the derby victory over Fenerbahce.
Icardi has been in red-hot form in front of goal and the Argentina international, who has five goals and four assists in seven league matches, will certainly be one to look out for.
As for Hatayspor, Demirel will be unable to call upon the services of Burak Oksuz, who is set to sit out his third straight game through a leg injury.
With nine goal involvements in the league, Ayoub El Kaabi has been a standout performer for Hatayspor and we expect the Moroccan forward to lead the attack, alongside Bertug Yildirim and Saba Lobjanidze.
Galatasaray possible starting lineup:
Muslera; Boey, Bardakci, Nelsson, Dubois; Oliveira, Kutlu; Rashica, Torreira; Akturkoglu; Icardi
Hatayspor possible starting lineup:
Kardesler; Corekci, Vranjes, Yilmaz, Adekugbe; Boudjemaa, Aabid, Ribeiro; Lobjanidze, Yildirim, El Kaabi
We say: Galatasaray 3-0 Hatayspor
While Hatayspor will be looking to return to winning ways, standing in their way is a star-studded Galatasaray side who are currently firing on all cylinders. Given the gulf in class and quality between the two sides, we are backing Buruk's men to claim a comfortable home victory in front of their fans.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
