Preview: Istanbul Basaksehir vs Inter Turku - prediction, team news, lineups

Inter Turku will head to Turkey on Wednesday to take on Istanbul Basaksehir in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League second-round qualifying tie.

The hosts enter the running for Europe's tertiary competition at this stage, while their visitors had to navigate through a first-round contest with Sarajevo.

Match preview

Istanbul Basaksehir will kick off their European campaign on Wednesday with the hopes of gaining an advantage in their Conference League qualifying tie and moving closer to the third qualifying round.

The Turuncu Lacivertliler earned entry at this stage with a fifth-placed finish in the Turkish Super Lig in 2025-26, having earned 57 points from their 34 games and pipped Goztepe to that spot with back-to-back victories to end the term in May.

That saw them return to Conference League qualifying for the third straight year, having reached the league phase in 2024-25 and fallen at the final hurdle last time around, seeing off Cherno More and Viking in the second and third rounds only to fall to Universitatea Craiova in a 5-2 aggregate defeat in the playoff round.

While they are back in competitive action for the first time since May, Nuri Sahin's side have been busy in friendlies, taking on Cracovia, SV Ried, RB Salzburg and Puskas Academy, having won 2-1 and 2-0 in the last two respectively as they gear up for qualifying and the beginning of their domestic campaign in mid-August.

Istanbul Basaksehir will now bid to take their first step towards a return to the league phase and make the most of home advantage on Wednesday to gain a foothold in their second-round tie.

Their visitors, meanwhile, come into the tie hoping to continue their run and achieve European qualification for a main tournament for the first time in their history.

Inter Turku earned a place in the first round of Conference League qualifying with a second-placed finish in the Veikkausliiga in 2025, marking a return to qualifying for the first time since 2022, when they lost in the first round against Drita.

The Sinimustat ended their wait for a first continental aggregate victory since 2005 this time, though, meeting Sarajevo and winning 3-2 having drawn 1-1 away from home and won 2-1 on Finnish soil thanks to second-half goals from Alie Conteh and Clinton Jephta, who scored the decisive goal three minutes from time.

A return to league action then followed on Sunday, when Vesa Vasara's side visited Jaro and had to settle for a point in a goalless stalemate, leaving them second after 16 top-flight outings on 31 points and in the midst of a 16-match unbeaten streak in all competitions dating back to early May.

Inter Turku will now set out to pull off a major upset in their second-round tie and keep their dreams alive, starting with a positive result in Wednesday's away leg in Istanbul.

Istanbul Basaksehir form (all competitions):

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Inter Turku Conference League form:

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Inter Turku form (all competitions):

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Team News

Istanbul Basaksehir's squad may look a lot different to the one that finished the 2025-26 season, with Nuri Sahin having already bolstered his ranks with defenders Emin Bayram, Saba Kharebashvili and Michal Karbownik.

Notably, experienced winger Edin Visca has also returned to the club after four years away with Trabzonspor having made 398 appearances for the Istanbul club before leaving in 2022, recording 110 goals and 118 assists.

The club also completed the permanent capture of Eldor Shomurodov over the summer, with the Uzbekistan international, who started all three group-stage games at the World Cup, having notched 22 Turkish Super Lig goals last time around.

Inter Turku will field a similar starting XI to the ones that featured in their two legs against Sarajevo in the previous round after making several changes for the weekend's league game.

Alie Conteh scored in both legs of their first-round tie and has netted eight goals in 21 appearances this term and he is bound to lead the attack again.

Goalkeeper Eetu Huuhtanen was not involved at the weekend, having been a regular beforehand, and Eero Vuorjoki may continue in the sticks if he is ruled out, while Ilari Kangasniemi and Luka Kuittinen will continue their centre-back partnership.

Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:

Sengezer; Bulut, Opoku, Ba, Karbownik; Kemen, Gunes; Visca, Fayzullaev; Shomurodov, Selke

Inter Turku possible starting lineup:

Vuorjoki; Saarinen, Kuittinen, Kangasniemi, Niska; Tuominen, Ahiabu, Laine; Essomba, Conteh, Jephta

We say: Istanbul Basaksehir 3-1 Inter Turku

Inter Turku showed signs of improving on the European stage with an aggregate win in the last round, but their upcoming tie represents a big step up and we do not see them having the quality to match Istanbul Basakehir, particularly away from home.

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