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

Samsunspor will be looking to bag their fifth successive Turkish Super Lig victory when they travel to the capital for a big clash with Istanbul Basaksehir this Saturday night.

The Red Lightning have been in sensational form over recent weeks, and they could go level on points with Saturday’s hosts should they continue their winning run.

Match preview

Istanbul Basaksehir are still in the hunt for a fifth-placed finish, though their ambitions were disrupted by a 3-1 defeat to Fenerbahce last weekend.

Nuri Sahin and his men have only lost three league matches since the start of 2026, and all of them came against teams currently in the top four.

Interestingly, the Grey Owls were in the midst of a five-match unbeaten run before their loss at Fenerbahce - a run which saw them score eight goals across their last three outings.

Basaksehir have the best attacking record of teams outside of the top four, and the majority of their 53 league goals have come at home.

Sahin and his side will now be looking to cap off their final home league outing of the season with a big win, as they aim to close the one-point gap to fifth-placed Goztepe.

© Iconsport / BSR AGENCY, BSR Agency / Alamy

Samsunspor find themselves four points adrift of Goztepe, meaning Red Lightning are also eyeing up a potential fifth-placed finish.

Thorsten Fink’s men have been in excellent form over recent weeks, picking up four successive league victories - including a couple of high-profile wins over table toppers Galatasaray and Besiktas.

In fact, last weekend’s success over the league leaders was not just a win - it was a total demolition as Red Lightning powered to a 4-1 thumping.

Samsunspor have scored 11 goals across their last four outings in the league, with the team rediscovering their ruthless attacking nature.

The big task for the visitors on Saturday will be overcoming their poor head-to-head record with Basaksehir, which consists of three defeats from four previous meetings.

Fink’s side were beaten 2-0 at home by the Grey Owls back in December, and they will be determined to use their spike in form to have a little revenge.

Istanbul Basaksehir Turkish Super Lig form:

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Samsunspor Turkish Super Lig form:

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Samsunspor form (all competitions):

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Team News

© Imago / IMAGO / Action Plus

Istanbul Basaksehir have no major injury worries ahead of the weekend, which will undoubtedly help their top-five ambitions.

Striker Bertug Yildirim is the man to watch after bagging two goals across his last four matches.

Yusuf Sari is also expected to play a big part, having chipped in with three assists in his last four outings.

Samsunspor, on the other hand, will be without the suspended Soner Gonul, who picked up his fourth yellow card of the season last weekend.

Jaures Assoumou and Bedirhan Cetin are on the sidelines with long-term injuries, and they will not feature on Saturday.

The same can be said about Tanguy Coulibaly, who also misses out through suspension.

Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:

Sengezer; Karatas, Opoku, Duarte, Sahiner; Gunes, Kemen; Harit, Shomurodov, Sari; Yildirim

Samsunspor possible starting lineup:

Kocuk; Tomasson, Van Drongelen, Satka, Yavru; Kayan, Makoumbou; Cift, Holse, Ndiaye; Marius

We say: Istanbul Basaksehir 2-2 Samsunspor

There might not be much on the line this Saturday, but we are still expecting a high-scoring game in Istanbul.

The hosts boast a strong home record, and they will be tested by a high-flying Samsunspor side. A draw is not out of the question in this game.

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