Istanbulvs.Hatayspor

The Grey Owls won 4-1 on home soil against Goztepe last Saturday, in what was their first win across all competitions since September 27.

Match preview

After a long wait, Istanbul Basaksehir finally secured another victory with a great first-half display which saw them score four goals courtesy of Davidson, Deniz Turuc, and a brace from Krzysztof Piatek.

The result ended a run of 10 straight matches without a win across all competitions for the Grey Owls, and six in a row in the Turkish Super Lig, helping them climb to seventh in the table with 19 points.

Cagdas Atan's side are now four points behind fourth-placed Eyupspor who have played one extra game, and will be looking to go on a good run to catch them, starting from the game against lowly-placed Hatayspor.

Basaksehir have won their last four matches across all competitions against Sunday's opposition, including one via penalties in the Turkish Cup.

The Grey Owls have also won their last three home matches in the Super Lig against the visitors, scoring seven and conceding none in those games.

Hatayspor are now unbeaten in their last three Super Lig matches, following up a win against Gaziantep with 1-1 draws against Konyaspor and most recently, Besiktas.

The Star of the South took the lead one minute before the half-hour mark via Gorkem Saglam, but they could not hold on to the lead, conceding four minutes before the break.

However, Riza Calimbay's side are still stuck in the relegation zone with eight points from 13 matches, leaving them second bottom in the league, with only Adana Demirspor behind them in the standings and six points between them and safety.

The Star of the South will be welcome visitors, given they have the joint-worst away record in the league, recording just two points after six matches on the road.

However, Hatayspor will be heading into Sunday's clash with a positive feeling, after winning 5-0 against fourth division side Osmaniyespor in the Turkish Cup on Thursday.

Istanbul Basaksehir Turkish Super Lig form:

L

D

L

D

L

W

Istanbul Basaksehir form (all competitions):

L

D

D

L

D

W

Hatayspor Turkish Super Lig form:

L

L

L

W

D

D

Team News

Berkay Ozcan is the only absentee for Basaksehir, as the head coach confirmed that he will no longer play for the club.

Piatek, who has scored eight goals in the Super Lig this season, is the joint-second top scorer in the league, and will be looking to add to his tally when he leads the line on Sunday.

Hatayspor will remain without midfielder Massanga Matondo, who is sidelined until the middle of this month due to a foot injury.

Carlos Strandberg bagged a brace in the cup win on Thursday and will be hoping to play from the start after playing a substitute role in the last league game.

Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:

Sengezer; Duarte, Ba, Opoku, Lima; Ergun; Turuc, Kemen, Crespo, Davidson; Piatek

Hatayspor possible starting lineup:

Kardesler; Sertel, Calvo, Kilama, Corekci; Diack, Saglam; Rivas, Pedro, Fernandes; Aboubakar

We say: Istanbul Basaksehir 2-1 Hatayspor

Even during their struggles, Basaksehir remained resilient on home soil, and it is no coincidence that their winless run ended with a home win.

Written by

Joshua Cole

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