Preview: Samsunspor vs Fenerbahce - prediction, team news, lineups

Samsunspor host Fenerbahce at Samsun 19 Mayis Stadyumu on Sunday in the third round of the Turkish Super Lig season, with both sides looking to build on victories from their last league outings.

Thorsten Fink's side followed an entertaining draw with Goztepe by beating Rizespor 2-0 away from home, while the Yellow Canaries recovered from an opening-day defeat to Genclerbirligi by beating Konyaspor 4-2.

Match preview

Samsunspor have made a positive start to the campaign, taking four points from their opening two matches despite conceding three times against Goztepe.

The opening-day 3-3 draw was one of the most entertaining matches of the first round, with the Red Lightning twice taking the lead before Goztepe turned the game around, but Celil Yuksel eventually rescued a point with a stoppage-time strike from outside the box.

Fink's side then produced a much more controlled performance at Rizespor, winning 2-0 despite facing a home team that created 28 shots and 1.85 xG.

Samsunspor were considerably more efficient, scoring through Joe Mendes and Fatih Kaya while keeping the Rize side out despite the hosts' heavy attacking pressure.

The victory demonstrated an important strength in Samsunspor's squad, showing they can win matches without dominating the ball or creating a large volume of chances, and that will be particularly relevant against Fenerbahce, who are likely to control possession for long periods.

The Red Lightning are looking to end a six-match winless run in this fixture in the Super Lig, losing two while drawing four times, with that streak extending to eight when all competitions are considered, including defeats in the Super Cup and Turkish Cup.

Samsunspor can nevertheless draw confidence from their recent record against Fenerbahce, with the last five league meetings producing four draws, an outcome that would not be the worst result this time around.

Fenerbahce, meanwhile, arrive in Samsun after finally putting their first league defeat behind them, putting together a three-match unbeaten streak across all competitions (2W, 1D).

Ismail Kartal's side lost 2-1 at Genclerbirligi on the opening weekend before responding with a 4-2 victory over Konyaspor, and they then added another impressive result in Europe, beating Lyon 2-1 away from home to progress in the Champions League qualifying rounds and secure a 3-2 aggregate victory.

The victory over Konyaspor was built around an explosive first half, with Vedat Muriqi opening the scoring after seven minutes before Ebrima Colley equalised, but Mason Greenwood restored Fenerbahce's lead and then assisted Marco Asensio for a third before half-time, before scoring a second to bag a brace shortly after the interval.

Muriqi was at it again against Lyon, scoring the game's first goal in the 24th minute before Greenwood assisted Archie Brown, who scored the second just four minutes later, securing victory despite the team conceding in the second half.

Greenwood and Muriqi have made excellent starts to their careers in Turkey and will be looking to make the difference again, while Romelu Lukaku is still looking to make his mark after appearing as a substitute so far.

Samsunspor Turkish Super Lig form:

Samsunspor form (all competitions):

Fenerbahce Turkish Super Lig form:

Fenerbahce form (all competitions):

Team News

Samsunspor are expected to make at least one significant change because Marius Mouandilmadji is sidelined with a thigh injury and is not expected back until early September.

Antoine Makoumbou is also a doubt because of a gastrointestinal problem, while Afonso Sousa, Elayis Tavsan, Igor Drapinski, Yunus Emre Cift and Kouadou Assoumou are among the other players listed as unavailable.

Kaya is therefore expected to lead the attack after scoring against Rizespor, with Emre Kilinc and Saikouba Jarju providing support. Celil Yuksel and Elliot Watt should continue in midfield if Makoumbou is unable to recover in time.

Fenerbahce have considerably more options despite their own injury list, with Ederson expected to continue in goal, while Milan Skriniar and Nathan Ake are likely to form the central defensive partnership.

Caglar Soyuncu's availability will need to be monitored, while Marco Asensio, Kerem Akturkoglu, Jayden Oosterwolde and Mert Gunok are among those expected to miss out.

Samsunspor possible starting lineup:

Kocuk; Tomasson, Diabate, Borekovic, Mendes; Kayan, Yuksel, Watt; Kilinc, Kaya, Jarju

Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:

Ederson; Semedo, Skriniar, Ake, Brown; Guendouzi, Kante; Greenwood, Talisca, Nene; Muriqi

We say: Samsunspor 1-2 Fenerbahce

Samsunspor's unbeaten start, home advantage and recent ability to make this fixture extremely competitive mean Fenerbahce should expect a difficult evening.

However, we expect the away side's greater attacking quality to eventually make the difference, with Greenwood's movement between the lines and Muriqi's presence in the penalty area giving the visitors enough to edge a tight contest and claim their second league victory of the campaign.

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