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

Konyaspor will look to extend their unbeaten streak when they welcome Istanbul Basaksehir to the Konya Buyuksehir Belediye Stadium in the Turkish Super Lig on Sunday.

The hosts made a poor start to the season, but things were beginning to improve before the international break, with four points collected from their last two matches, while the visitors also managed to put an end to their poor run just before the break.

Match preview

Konyaspor have collected four points from their opening six league matches after failing to pick up a point in their first four fixtures.

The Anatolian Eagle kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 home defeat against Caykur Rizespor before travelling to Fenerbahce for a 4-2 loss, and those results were followed by a 2-1 home defeat against Kocaelispor and a 1-0 loss at Erzurumspor.

Things were already looking bleak for Ilhan Palut's team, but they breathed some life into their season with a 1-0 home win over Trabzonspor before recording a goalless draw at Kasimpasa in their most recent league outing.

Palut's team remain in danger of slipping into the bottom three, sitting just outside the relegation zone on goal difference ahead of Samsunspor, who also have four points.

The Anatolian outfit stretched their legs during the break with a 2-2 friendly draw against Palestine and will now hope to carry that momentum into their clash with Basaksehir, whom they have beaten in their last two home meetings.

The win over Trabzonspor showed that Konyaspor can make home advantage count against strong opposition, and that is the result they will look to build on despite losing their opening two home games.

Basaksehir will hope to buck the recent trend in this fixture, which has favoured the home side, with each team recording two wins in their last four meetings.

The campaign has also been uneven for the Grey Owls, who went four games without a victory after their opening-day 2-0 win over Kocaelispor.

Nuri Sahin's side subsequently lost to Trabzonspor (2-1), Galatasaray (3-2) and Amed SK (5-0), picking up just one point from a 1-1 draw with Kasimpasa during that run.

However, they successfully halted their poor streak by thrashing Genclerbirligi 4-0, with Eldor Shomurodov scoring twice, while Davie Selke and Andreas Skov Olsen were also on the scoresheet.

The problem for Basaksehir heading into Sunday's game will be their poor away form, having lost their last three matches on the road, including one in Europe, while conceding nine goals and scoring just once during that run.

Konyaspor Turkish Super Lig form:

Konyaspor form (all competitions):

Istanbul Basaksehir Turkish Super Lig form:

Team News

Konyaspor have no reported injury absences ahead of this clash, leaving Palut with an array of options to choose from on Sunday.

One of the hosts' main problems has been their lack of goals, with the team scoring just four in six matches, but Jackson Muleka will hope to open his account for the season and help address that issue as he leads the line.

Deniz Turuc has scored once so far and will hope to provide some attacking inspiration, while Diogo Goncalves will also look to contribute in his creative role.

Basaksehir's main injury concern is Edin Visca, who is yet to recover from an injury sustained in August.

Shomurodov is the main attacking threat, having already scored six league goals, and will look to make the difference, while Selke is expected to lead the line.

Konyaspor possible starting lineup:

Gungordu; Yazgili, Baniya, Demirbag, Masuaku; Jevtovic, Ibrahimoglu; Turuc, Goncalves, Toth; Muleka

Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:

Sengezer; Kharebashvili, Bayram, Opoku, Karbownik; Kemen, Gunes; Skov Olsen, Brnic, Shomurodov; Selke

We say: Konyaspor 1-1 Istanbul Basaksehir

Konyaspor's home win over Trabzonspor shows they can compete with strong opponents, particularly against a Basaksehir side that has struggled on the road.

However, the visitors' attacking threat should help them pick up something from this encounter, even if they have to settle for a draw.

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