Sports Mole previews Sunday’s Turkish Super Lig clash between Besiktas and Goztepe SK, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Two sides separated by one spot will go head-to-head in the Turkish Super Lig when Besiktas welcome Goztepe SK to Tupras Stadyumu on Sunday.
The Black Eagles are coming into this clash on the back of a goalless draw with Istanbul Basaksehir just before the international break.
Match preview
Besiktas have endured a torrid couple of weeks in the Super Lig, losing two and drawing one of their last three matches.
A 2-1 defeat away at Galatasaray was followed by a 3-1 defeat at home to Kasimpasa, before the goalless draw with Basaksehir in a game that both teams registered only one shot on target.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst‘s side dropped to fifth place with 21 points, four points behind third-placed Fenerbahce and one point ahead of fourth-placed Eyupspor who have both played one extra game.
Besiktas have won their last three meetings against Sunday’s opposition, which will give them some confidence heading into their next game, though they lost their most recent home game after winning the opening four.
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Goztepe continued to alternate between wins and losses in their last six Super Lig matches, the most recent of which was a 2-0 home win against Konyaspor.
In what was a thrilling encounter, Goztepe left it late with both goals scored in stoppage time via a spot kick from Romulo Cardoso in the 98th minute and Kuryu Matsuki two minutes later.
Stanimir Stoilov‘s side currently sit sixth in the table having earned 18 points from their first 11 outings, winning five of those while only suffering three defeats.
The visitors have scored 19 goals, making them the joint-fourth highest scoring side in the league alongside hosts Besiktas, with only the top three sides in the table scoring more.
However, just five of those goals have come on the road, as Goztepe have failed to win any of their five away matches in this campaign, drawing two and losing the most recent three.
Besiktas Turkish Super Lig form:
Besiktas form (all competitions):
Goztepe SK Turkish Super Lig form:
Team News
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Besiktas’s top scorer, Ciro Immobile, is sidelined with a thigh injury, as is Ernest Muci, with the former expected back on the pitch in early December and the latter in mid-December.
Necip Uysal is also out with a ligament issue, with the midfielder predicted to remain sidelined until the middle of next month.
Goztepe might be missing one player for this clash, with Kubilay Kanatsizkus nursing an ankle injury that makes him doubtful.
Cardoso, who leads the team’s scoring charts with five goals in 10 league appearances this term, returned to the starting XI last time out and is expected to be in a front two alongside Chelsea loanee David Datro Fofana.
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Gunok; Svensson, Uduokhai, Gabriel, Masuaku; Elmusrati, Fernandes; Mario, Silva, Rashica; Kilicsoy
Goztepe SK possible starting lineup:
Lis; Bokele, Heliton, Altikardes; Bayrak, Ildiz, Solet, Silva; Tijanic; Fofana, Romulo
We say: Besiktas 2-1 Goztepe SK
Besiktas have been solid at home and we believe that their recent home defeat was just a blip, which is why we are predicting a win for the hosts against Goztepe, who have been poor away from home this season.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
