Sports Mole previews Sunday’s Turkish Super Lig clash between Fenerbahce and Istanbulspor, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Fenerbahce cling onto their dream of lifting the Turkish Super Lig title as they host Istanbulspor at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium on Sunday.
The Yellow Canaries kept the title race alive with a dramatic victory over Galatasaray last weekend, but their fate still rests partly on other results.
Match preview
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Fenerbahce ensured the title race would go down to the wire with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over league leaders Galatasaray at Rams Park last weekend.
The encounter was a tense affair, with 11 yellow cards and a red card brandished. Remarkably, despite both sides registering 11 attempts, only one shot found the net – Caglar Soyuncu‘s 71st-minute strike proving decisive as Fenerbahce forced a dramatic finale to the season.
Ismail Kartal‘s side now sit three points behind the leaders heading into the final matchday and they can only be crowned champions if they win and Galatasaray lose.
Fenerbahce will be buoyed by their historic dominance over their opponents, having not lost to Istanbulspor in any competition since 2003. Additionally, they boast the second-best home record in the league this season, which should further bolster their confidence.
Istanbulspor’s nightmare season in the top flight reaches its conclusion on Sunday. Their final Super Lig fixture against Fenerbahce marks the end of a turbulent campaign marred by managerial changes, points deductions, and even a match abandonment due to a controversial refereeing decision.
The Bulls, destined for relegation, have lost their last five matches, including a 3-1 defeat to Sivasspor last time out.
Osman Zeki Korkmaz‘s side will finish rock bottom of the table, having conceded the most goals and recorded the most defeats in the division.
Despite their dreadful season, Istanbulspor will be aiming to salvage some pride. However, their last away victory at Fenerbahce came all the way back in 2003.
Fenerbahce Turkish Super Lig form:
Fenerbahce form (all competitions):
Istanbulspor Turkish Super Lig form:
Team News
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Fenerbahce will be without Alexander Djiku, who is suspended after receiving a red card against Galatasaray. The hosts also have Michy Batshuayi and Fred suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Cengiz Under, Ismail Yuksek, Ryan Kent and Irfan Can Kahveci are all injured and confirmed out of the game.
Istanbulspor will be missing Demeaco Duhaney who is suspended for this match after getting sent off for two bookable offences.
Eslem Ozturk is the only player absent for the visitors through injury and he is currently recovering from an ankle issue.
Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:
Livakovic; Kadioglu, Soyuncu, Becao, Oosterwolde; Zajc, Hakan Yandas; Tadic, Szymanski, Osayi-Samuel; Dzeko
Istanbulspor possible starting lineup:
Arda; Sambissa, Coly, Deli, Erdogan, Yesil; Loshaj, Vorobjovas, Jackson, Sambissa; Mamadou
We say: Fenerbahce 3-0 Istanbulspor
Fenerbahce are overwhelming favorites for this one, as they have dominated this fixture and are also one of the best sides on home soil. We do not see any other result here than an overwhelming victory for the hosts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.