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

Genclerbirligi welcome Fenerbahce to the Eryaman Stadyumu on Sunday evening as they continue their search for a first point of the new Super Lig campaign.

The promoted Ankara side are still adapting to life in the top flight, while the visitors arrive licking their wounds after European disappointment but with domestic ambitions firmly intact.

Match preview

It has been a sobering start for the Ankara-based side, whose return to the top division has quickly highlighted the gulf in quality.

Defeat on the opening day at Samsunspor, followed by a narrow home loss to Antalyaspor and then another setback away to Gaziantep, has left them rooted without reward and already struggling to plug defensive gaps.

Head coach Huseyin Eroglu has watched his team concede five goals in three matches and collect a red card along the way, further complicating their bid to establish stability.

The problems stretch further back than just August. Genclerbirligi have now gone 10 straight Super Lig games without a victory, a run that includes 10 successive defeats and 27 consecutive matches conceding at least once.

That record underlines just how fragile they have been at the back, and even though Metehan Mimaroglu’s early strike against Samsunspor offered a glimpse of attacking endeavour, the lack of resilience has kept them on the canvas.

The Eryaman has historically been a more reliable base, with five wins from their last 10 in front of their own fans, but even that record cannot disguise the size of the task here.

Facing a Fenerbahce side stacked with international experience and carrying frustrations from midweek elimination in Europe makes for a daunting prospect.

Fenerbahce’s early part of the season has been a mix of promise and letdown. They were held goalless by Goztepe in the league opener, looked sharper in dispatching Kocaelispor 3-1, but then fell narrowly to Benfica in the Champions League playoff to see their continental dream curtailed before the group stage.

The consequence is a sharper focus on domestic silverware, and given their squad depth, expectations remain high that they will contend at the top of the Super Lig once again.

Despite managerial upheaval, with Jose Mourinho departing his role and the club moving swiftly to install fresh leadership, Fenerbahce carry momentum into this trip.

Seven league matches without defeat underline their domestic consistency, and although they have conceded in three straight Super Lig outings, their firepower in the final third should more than compensate.

With Jhon Duran and Youssef En-Nesyri offering a dual threat and Sebastian Szymanski providing guile in midfield, the visitors look well-equipped to breach a defence as porous as Genclerbirligi’s.

Genclerbirligi Turkish Super Lig form:

L L L

Genclerbirligi form (all competitions):

L L L

Fenerbahce Turkish Super Lig form:

D W

Fenerbahce form (all competitions):

L W D D W L

Team News

Genclerbirligi’s injury list offers little respite. Abdullah Sahindere is ruled out with a cruciate ligament problem that will sideline him long term, while Peter Etebo’s hamstring strain delays his return until next month.

Ensar Kemaloglu is nursing a knee issue and remains a doubt, leaving Eroglu with limited flexibility to refresh a struggling squad. Metehan Mimaroglu is again expected to carry attacking responsibility from wide areas, while Romanian forward Florin Popa may continue as the focal point.

Fenerbahce have Jayden Oosterwolde available again after suspension and could slot into a back three, boosting defensive solidity.

The forward pairing of Duran and En-Nesyri should once more lead the line, with Szymanski operating between midfield and attack.

However, the visitors are not at full strength either, as Cenk Tosun, Rodrigo Becao and captain Mert Hakan Yandas remain sidelined.

Even so, their resources dwarf those of their hosts, and the depth in attacking options ensures no shortage of firepower.

Genclerbirligi possible starting lineup:

Akkan; Dursun, Goutas, Zuzek, Pereira; Onur, Kyabou; Mimaroglu, Nalepa, Uzum; Popa

Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:

Egribayat; Muldur, Skriniar, Oosterwolde; Semedo, Amrabat, Fred, Brown; Szymanski; Duran, En-Nesyri

We say: Genclerbirligi 0-3 Fenerbahce

On paper this contest is heavily tilted towards Fenerbahce, whose superior quality, depth and form should see them dominate in Ankara.

Genclerbirligi’s ongoing issues at both ends of the pitch, combined with a 10-match winless streak in the league, leave little reason for optimism. Unless Eroglu’s men can summon an extraordinary defensive performance, the likelihood is that Fenerbahce will find multiple openings.

A response is expected from the visitors after European disappointment, and this match presents the ideal opportunity to restore confidence.

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