Preview: Fenerbahce vs Galatasaray – prediction, team news, lineups

The biggest rivalry in Turkish football took center stage on Monday evening when undefeated Fenerbahce welcomed league leaders Galatasaray to the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium for matchday 14’s Istanbul derby.

The stakes are high in this competition and there is only one point separating the two sides – the Yellow Canaries are right down super league standings – So a victory for Domenico Tedesco’s men will take them to the top.

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match preview

The second partner to Galatasaray’s dominance in each of the last three title races, Fenerbahce finds itself in familiar territory, although Monday’s derby seems the right time to unsettle their fiercest rivals on the log given the contrasting dynamics between the two teams.

While Simbom has faltered in recent fixtures, five consecutive league wins have seen the Yellow Canaries close the gap at the top to nine points, leaving them just one win away from snatching top spot on Monday.

The only team to suffer defeat so far in the Super Lig this season, Fenerbahce have accumulated 31 points through nine wins and four draws, the latest of which was a 5-2 win at Kaykur Rizespor last weekend in an encounter that reinforced their obvious imbalance at both ends.

The yellow-navy Blues have won four of their last five league games, allowing seven in that spell, although they have been guns-blazing in the final third and have conceded 18 in the same period.

Fenerbahce head into this derby on the back of a 1-1 draw against Ferencvaros in the Europa League on Thursday, in which Anderson Talisca’s 69th-minute leveler extended the Yellow Canaries’ unbeaten streak in all competitions to 11 games (W8, D3), a run they will aim to extend with a win on Monday.

Galatasaray, on the other hand, arrived in the Champions League in midweek after a disappointing 1-0 home shock away to Union SG, meaning Simbom have now suffered two defeats in their last three matches in all competitions.

The only success this spell was a hard-fought 3-2 league win over relegation-threatened Gençlerbirliği at Reims Park last weekend, hardly an ideal response to a team that had suffered their first Süper Lig defeat in a 1-0 upset against Kocaelispor a week earlier.

The reigning champions have now collected 31 points from 10 wins, two draws and one loss in their 13 matches in the top flight this season, conceding 28 goals – two less than Fenerbahce – while conceding only eight at the other end.

Okan Buruk’s men have displayed better defensive assurance on the road with only two of the six away matches of the Super Lig campaign, while firing in 12 to claim five wins (L1).

Thus, Galatasaray will take confidence into Monday’s trip to a ground where they have enjoyed success in recent years, having won two of their last three league visits to Sukru Saracoglu (D1), including a 3-1 win in the same competition last season.

Fenerbahce Turkish Super Lig Form:

Fenerbahce form (all competitions):

Galatasaray Turkish Super Lig Form:

Galatasaray form (all competitions):

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team news

Fenerbahce enter this match with almost their entire squad available, with Caglar Soyuncu the only player absent due to a knee injury, while Yigit Efe Demir is doubtful to play after being ruled out of Thursday’s contest.

Meanwhile, Nelson Semedo is back in contention on the domestic front after being ruled out of the last league season due to booking accumulation, so Mert Muldurr is expected to return to the bench.

Youssef En-Nesyri has found the net seven times in the Super Lig this season and after making only substitute appearances in his last two league games he could lead the line here.

En-Nesyri is joined at seventh by Mauro Icardi, who is expected to lead Galatasaray’s attack with Victor Osimhen sidelined with a hamstring problem.

At least eight more players have been ruled out for Monday, with Yunus Akgun, Berkan Kutlu, Kan Ayhan, Wilfred Singo and Mario Lemina all suffering injuries, while Ismail Jacobs is doubtful for the game after the midweek defeat to Union.

Meanwhile, Roland Salai faces a suspension for his red card in the previous league outing, with Eren Elmali and Metehan Baltası banned after being found guilty of betting violations in Turkish football.

Fenerbahce probable starting lineup:

ederson; Semedo, Skriniar, Osterwald, Brown; Fred; Asensio, Nene, Taliska, Akturkoglu; En-Nesyri

Galatasaray probable starting lineup:

Kakir; Unyay, Bardakki, Sanchez, Karatas; Torreira, Gundogan; Sane, Sara, Yilmaz; icardi

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We say: Fenerbahce 1-1 Galatasaray

Fenerbahce have performed exceptionally well at home this season with five wins and one draw in six league fixtures and will go into Monday’s derby with a lot of confidence given their explosive upside.

While a win would take the Yellow Canaries to the summit, a defeat would weigh heavily on their title race, so some caution may have to be taken against a Galatasaray side who have won two of their last three visits to Sukru Saracoglu, leaving a draw as the likely outcome.

Please click here for data analysis of the most probable outcomes of this match, scoreline and more.

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