Preview: Fenerbahce vs. Istanbul Basaksehir - prediction, team news, lineups

The teams meet in Goztepe after finishing second and fifth respectively in this season's Super Lig, with a decade having passed since Fener lifted the trophy; Basaksehir have never before won the national cup.

Match preview

A week after losing their final league fixture of the campaign 3-0 to fierce foes Galatasaray, to finish some eight points behind in second place, Fenerbahce have a chance of redemption on Sunday evening, when they seek an end to their 10-year drought in the Turkish Cup.

As Gala took top spot this term, Fener also remain without a Super Lig title since their most recent triumph in 2014, which came one year after their last success in the cup final - a 1-0 defeat of Trabzonspor, played in Ankara.

As they must wait at least 12 more months to be crowned Turkish champions for a 20th time, the pressure is now on to follow up last month's semi-final victory over Sivasspor and deliver some silverware.

After leading the way in terms of Super Lig goals scored, with 87, there is no doubting the attacking prowess of a team overseen by attack-minded coach Jorge Jesus, whose Benfica and Flamengo sides both racked up goals galore.

While his future at the club has yet to be confirmed - with moves to manage either Brazil or Saudi Arabia recently rumoured - the Portuguese tactician would love to embellish an already glittering CV by securing a seventh Turkish Cup for Fener this weekend.

Having lost to his former club in both league meetings this season - last October and a 2-1 home defeat in April - Istanbul Basaksehir boss Emre Belozoglu will be aiming for third time lucky in Sunday's final.

After edging out Ankaragucu in the semis following a tense extra-time period, in which Philippe Keny's 111th-minute strike spared the lottery of penalties, the Grey Owls now aim to beat Fenerbahce after those two earlier failures and lift the cup for the first time following two previous final defeats.

Only founded in 1990, Basaksehir have presented a challenge to Istanbul's established order since reaching the top flight 17 years later, and though they were crowned champions in 2020 they have yet to taste glory in Turkey's knockout competition.

Emre's side finished fourth in 2021-22 to qualify for the Europa Conference League, in which they progressed to the last 16 this season, but could claim only fifth spot in the Super Lig with last week's win over Trabzonspor.

Their only route back into Europe, then, is to defeat Fener. They attempt to do so on the back of three straight victories to close out the league campaign and are unbeaten in all competitions since the start of May.

Fenerbahce Turkish Cup form:

D

W

Fenerbahce form (all competitions):

D

D

W

W

W

L

Istanbul Basaksehir Turkish Cup form:

W

D

Istanbul Basaksehir form (all competitions):

L

D

D

D

W

W

Team News

As goalkeeper Altay Bayindir remains doubtful due to a back injury, Fenerbahce coach Jorge Jesus should again throw the gloves to Irfan Egribayat for Sunday's cup final.

Long-term absentee Lincoln is also sidelined for Fener, but Jesus still has several selection decisions to make, given the depth of his squad.

After scoring two late goals in April's win over Basaksehir, Brazilian striker Joao Pedro will hope to earn promotion from the bench, but Enner Valencia is almost certain to start up front. In his third season at the club, Valencia has enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career, scoring 29 goals in 31 Super Lig matches and one in the Turkish Cup.

Meanwhile, Basaksehir are set to bring back Caner Erkin and Serdar Gurler after both were rested against Trabzonspor, but Mahmut Tekdemir and Italian striker Stefano Okaka remain sidelined by injury.

Philippe Keny should join either or Joao Figueiredo as an attacking pair at the top of Emre Belozoglu's 4-4-2. Alternatively, Danijel Aleksic could feature as a support striker should the Grey Owls start with a more defensive lineup to counteract Fener's goalscoring threat.

Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:

Egribayat; Kadioglu, Akaydin, Szalai, Luan; Willian; Kahveci, Crespo, Rossi; Guler, Valencia

Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:

Dilmen; Ozbayrakli, Touba, Wu, Erkin; Toruc, Biglia, Ozcan, Gurler; Keny, Figueiredo

We say: Fenerbahce 2-1 Istanbul Basaksehir

Though the pressure is piled high on their shoulders, Fenerbahce have a clear advantage in terms of both attacking options and squad depth, which could prove the difference in Goztepe.

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