Preview: Istanbul Basaksehir vs Eyupspor - prediction, team news, lineups

Istanbul Basaksehir return to Super Lig action on Sunday when they welcome Eyupspor to the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium.

The Grey Owls will be determined to collect maximum points as they look to climb the standings, having played just once in the league this season due to their European commitments.

Match preview

Basaksehir kicked off their campaign earlier than most Turkish sides with a run in the Europa Conference League qualifiers.

They cruised past Bulgarian outfit Cherno More 5-0 on aggregate in the second round, before overcoming Viking 4-2 across two legs.

However, their continental journey came to a halt in the playoff round, where Romanian side Universitatea Craiova proved too strong, sealing a 5-2 aggregate victory.

With European football off the table, Cagdas Atan’s men now shift their focus fully back to domestic competition where their only league outing ended in a 1-1 draw with Kayserispor, with clashes against Fatih Karagumruk and Caykur Rizespor postponed.

Basaksehir and Eyupspor first met only last season, sharing three contests in the league and cup, with the Grey Owls taking one win, while the other two games ended level, including the league fixture at this stadium.

Eyupspor, meanwhile, were one of the standout stories of last season under Arda Turan, but life under new boss Selcuk Sahin has been more difficult.

They opened the campaign with back-to-back defeats against Konyaspor and Besiktas, before finally getting off the mark with a morale-boosting 2-1 win over Alanyaspor last weekend.

That victory will have lifted confidence, but their away record remains a real concern, with Eyupspor having lost each of their last four away matches stretching back to last season.

In their last nine on the road in all competitions, they have managed just a single win while falling to seven defeats.

Istanbul Basaksehir Turkish Super Lig form:

Istanbul Basaksehir form (all competitions):

Eyupspor Turkish Super Lig form:

Team News

Istanbul Basaksehir head into Sunday’s clash with a number of key absentees, as Leo Duarte is sidelined with a foot injury until mid-September, while Olivier Kemen and Omer Ali Sahiner are also unavailable due to muscle problems, both expected to return later next month.

In addition, winger Yusuf Sari is nursing a thigh issue and is not expected back until mid-September, leaving Atan with some reshuffling to do.

Eyupspor will be without two important players for their trip to Basaksehir, as winger Halil Akbunar is sidelined with a thigh injury and is only expected back in mid-September.

Midfielder Yalcin Kayan is facing a similar issue, also ruled out until around the same time, but despite these absences, Sahin still has enough depth in his squad to put out a competitive lineup on Sunday.

Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:

Babacan; Operi, Ba, Opoku, Ebosele; Ergun, Ozdemir; Brnic, Crespo, Shomurodov; Selke

Eyupspor possible starting lineup:

Marcos; Yalcin, Claro, Mujakic; Calegari, Demirbay, Kayan, Gurler; Sesler, Dragus; Thiam

We say: Istanbul Basaksehir 1-0 Eyupspor

Istanbul Basaksehir will look to take advantage of their home ground when they face Eyupspor on Sunday, and Atan’s men still boast the stronger squad, leaving them with a better probability of picking up a win against Eyupspor, though a close contest is expected.

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