Preview: Konyaspor vs Goztepe SK - prediction, team news, lineups

Konyaspor will hope a change at the helm sparks a resurgence in the Turkish Super Lig as they welcome in-form Goztepe SK to the Konya Metropolitan Municipality Stadium for matchday 21 action.

Ilhan Palut returned to the Konya-based outfit for a second spell following his appointment on Friday, and his first assignment comes against a side currently on a five-game unbeaten run across all competitions.

Match preview

Palut arrives as the third manager to take charge of Konyaspor this season, with the club parting ways with Cagdas Atan following last weekend’s 2–1 defeat at Besiktas.

The Anatolian Eagles had taken the lead through Deniz Turuc in the 22nd minute, only to surrender their advantage before the break and concede again in the 77th minute, extending their winless league run to 10 matches (D5, L5) — the longest ongoing streak in the division.

Atan oversaw nine of those outings, posting a record of five draws and four defeats, and he departs with the Konya club sitting 14th in the Super Lig table, just three points above the relegation zone.

Looking to ignite an immediate upturn, Palut at least has a morale-boosting result to lean on after Konyaspor’s 5–0 Turkish Cup thrashing of minnows Aliaga on Thursday, meaning all five of their last 16 victories across all competitions have come in that tournament.

That result also extended the Anatolian Eagles’s unbeaten run to six matches on their own turf (W2, D4), though all four draws in that stretch have come in the league, leaving them on a seven-match winless home streak in the Super Lig heading into Sunday’s encounter.

Things have been considerably brighter for Goztepe, who secured a fourth win in their last five league games (D1) with a 2–1 comeback triumph over basement side Fatih Karagumruk last weekend.

Despite conceding an early opener to Serginho, it took barely seven minutes for Goz Goz to draw level through Junior Olaitan before Janderson struck what proved to be the winner on the cusp of half-time.

As a result, Stanimir Stoilov’s men have won 11 of their 20 Super Lig fixtures this season (D6, L4), leaving them fourth in the standings, three points behind Trabzonspor in third, seven adrift of Fenerbahce in second and 10 off leaders Galatasaray.

Goztepe currently cling to the European places with only a two-point cushion, making victory this weekend particularly crucial, and they will be optimistic after winning three of their last four away league outings (D1), leaving them the fourth-best travellers in the division with 18 points collected from a possible 30 on the road.

However, recent meetings with Konyaspor offer less encouragement, as Goz Goz have failed to win five of the last six encounters between the sides (D1, L4), including a 1–1 draw in the reverse fixture, while their last two visits to Konya have both ended in defeat.

Konyaspor Turkish Super Lig form:

Konyaspor form (all competitions):

Goztepe SK Turkish Super Lig form:

Goztepe SK form (all competitions):

Team News

Despite scoring in the previous league outing, Turuc will play no part for Konyaspor this weekend as he serves a suspension after picking up his fourth booking of the campaign.

Defensive midfielder Ufuk Akyol continues his lengthy recovery from a knee injury that has sidelined him since October, while winger Pedrinho could miss a seventh consecutive match.

For Goztepe, Arda Okan Kurtulan was forced off in the win over Karagumruk last weekend, making the right-back a doubt for Sunday’s clash.

Aside from that, the visitors have no major injury concerns, although Stoilov will be without Olaitan and Rhaldney, both of whom recently completed transfers to Bediktas and Alverca, respectively.

Konyaspor possible starting lineup:

Gungordu; Andzouana, Yazgili, Demirbag, Guilherme; Kutlu, Bjorlo; Tasci, Svendsen, Muleka; Kramer

Goztepe SK possible starting lineup:

Lis; Altikardes, Heliton, Bokele; Kurtulan, Bekiroglu, Miroshi, Cherni; Gomes; Janderson, Juan

We say: Konyaspor 1-1 Goztepe SK

Konyaspor are likely to throw everything at Goztepe as they look to benefit from a new-manager bounce, but the visitors’ strong form suggests they are capable of holding their own.

A draw appears the most probable outcome, though Palut should still take positives from what could be a spirited display by the Anatolian Eagles.

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