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

Needing a win to guarantee a top-five finish in the Turkish Super Lig for the first time in over five decades, Goztepe SK visit the Samsun 19 Mayis Stadium to face Samsunspor in the season finale on Saturday.

The Red Lightning were denied a fifth league win on the bounce last weekend when they fell to a humbling defeat against Istanbul Basaksehir, while the visitors secured a narrow home victory over Gaziantep.

Match preview

While Samsunspor have pieced together a commendable run of form down the final stretch of the season, they were sent back to earth last Saturday in a 3-0 hammering at the hands of Istanbul Basaksehir.

First-half goals from Eldor Shomurodov and Yusuf Sari put Basaksehir in the driver’s seat at the Fatih Terim Stadium, before Abbosbek Fayzullaev rebounded home the third from close range in the 78th minute to cap off a dominant team display.

Samsunspor had won each of their previous four Super Lig matches, seeing off Eyupspor, Besiktas and Alanyaspor in their final three outings in April before claiming a stunning 4-1 victory over champions Galatasaray on May 2.

Thorsten Fink’s men have struggled to replicate last season’s form that carried them to an impressive third-place finish but can still take pride in another solid campaign that has guaranteed back-to-back finishes in the top half of the table.

Samsunspor have picked up 12 wins and 12 draws from their 33 games to collect 48 points and sit seventh in the Super Lig standings, nine points above 10th-placed Alanyaspor in the bottom half heading into the final fixture of the season.

Over in the West, Goztepe maintained their impressive late-season form last Saturday when they secured a 2-1 victory over a resilient Gaziantep side at the Gursel Aksel Stadium.

A fourth-minute own goal from Myenty Abena gave the hosts a dream start to the contest, and after Mohamed Bayo restored parity for Gaziantep in the 56th minute, Brazilian striker Jeh rose highest to head home Alexis Antunes’s 80th-minute corner to hand Goztepe all three points.

Off the back of an impressive eighth-placed finish in the Super Lig table last season, and it has been standout league campaign for the Izmir outfit, who find themselves on the cusp of clinching a place in the top five for the first time since the 1969-1970 campaign, when they finished 5th in the table.

Stanimir Stoilov’s men have picked up 14 wins and 13 draws from their 33 Super Lig games to collect 55 points and sit fifth in the table, one point above sixth-placed Basaksehir and four adrift of fourth-placed Besiktas in the Conference League qualifying spot.

While Goztepe will look to continue from where they left off against Goztepe and close out the season on a high, results on the road leave a lot to be desired, with just two wins from their nine away matches since November’s 2-1 victory at Alanyaspor.

Samsunspor Turkish Super Lig form:

Samsunspor form (all competitions):

Goztepe SK Turkish Super Lig form:

Team News

Samsunspor will take to the pitch without Swedish defender Joe Mendes, who is set to serve a one-game suspension after crossing the yellow card threshold with his booking against Basaksehir last Saturday.

On the injury front, Fink will be unable to call upon the services of Ivory Coast forward Jaures Assoumou, who has missed the last 13 games since picking up a knee problem against Gaziantep on March 1.

He is joined on the Red Lightning’s injury table by teenage defender Bedirhan Cetin, who continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a severe knee injury back in August.

Goztepe remain without the Turkish duo of midfielder Izzet Malak and 23-year-old defender Erkam Komur, who have been suspended by the Turkish Football Federation over betting scandal.

Allan Godoi was forced off injured midway through the second half against Gaziantep last time out and the Brazilian defender is also ruled out of the trip to the Samsun 19 Mayis Stadium.

Samsunspor possible starting lineup:

Kocuk; Yavru, Borevkovic, Van Drongelen, Tomasson, Makoumbou; Kayan, Coulibaly, Holse, Ndiaye; Marius

Goztepe SK possible starting lineup:

Lis; Bokele, Heliton, Altikardes; Cherni, Miroshi, Mohammed, Kurtulan; Antunes, Santos, Janderson

We say: Samsunspor X-Y Goztepe SK

Samsunspor will look to bounce back from last weekend’s poor display at Basaksehir on home turf, where they are unbeaten in their last five league matches since the start of March. With Basaksehir breathing down their neck, Goztepe know they need maximum points this weekend as they have their sights set on a milestone finish, but with one win in their last seven matches, we see them holding out for a share of the spoils at the Samsun 19 Mayis Stadium.

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