Preview: Gaziantep vs. Fenerbahce - prediction, team news, lineups

Jorge Jesus's men suffered a damaging 3-0 defeat to Galatasaray last weekend, whereas Gaziantep were denied three points at Istanbulspor by a late equaliser.

Match preview

Marko Jevtovic's first-half strike put Gaziantep in a commanding position in Istanbul, before a 100th-minute equaliser from Valon Ethemi snatched two points off the visitors that day.

That stalemate represented Gaziantep's third 1-1 draw in their last four Super Lig matches, a record which is not seeing them fly up the league standings as they enter the business stage of the campaign.

Currently sitting 11th with 19 points from 17 matches, Erol Bulut's side are just two points from the relegation zone and need to start registering maximums in order to distance themselves from the likes of Hatayspor and Antalyaspor.

After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, Gaziantep's mission is to avoid a scrap for survival this time round - although with only four wins to their name so far this campaign that aim seems unrealistic at the moment.

Fenerbahce desperately need a win this weekend after losing 3-0 to title rivals Galatasaray last weekend, with goals from Sergio Oliveira, Berkan Kutlu and Kerem Akturkoglu condemning Jesus's men to their second defeat in four matches.

The Yellow Canaries were visibly dejected at full time - perhaps the magnitude of the result sinking in after the whistle had blown, with Galatasaray now possessing a considerable lead at the top of the Super Lig standings.

By their own high standards Fenerbahce have disappointed since returning from the World Cup break, losing on two occasions - results that have had a detrimental effect on their title hopes considering the strength of the aforementioned Galatasaray.

The league table suggests Fenerbahce should be able to collect all three points against Gaziantep yet their head-to-head record says otherwise, with the Yellow Canaries losing on both of their last two visits to Gaziantep Stadyumu.

Gaziantep Turkish Super Lig form:

L

D

D

L

D

D

Fenerbahce Turkish Super Lig form:

W

L

L

W

W

L

Fenerbahce form (all competitions):

W

W

L

W

W

L

Team News

Gaziantep will be without the services of midfielder Abdulkadir Parmak for the visit of Fenerbahce, with the 28-year-old suffering from a knee injury which is expected to keep him out of action until late January.

Bulut did not make a tactical substitution until the 89th minute during the draw with Istanbulspor so can be expected to select an unchanged XI from last weekend, with Furkan Soyalp supporting Joao Figueiredo in attack.

Fenerbahce winger Irfan Kahveci was dismissed in the defeat to Galatasaray and will begin a two-match suspension by missing out on a trip to Gaziantep this weekend.

Joao Pedro is a longer-term absentee for the Yellow Canaries due to a knee injury, with the 30-year-old not having a timescale on his return just yet.

Gaziantep possible starting lineup:

Guvenc; Kitsiou, Ersoy, Djilobodji, Pehlivan; Jevtovic, Merkel, Sagal, Soyalp, Veliu; Figueiredo

Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:

Bayindir; Aziz, Henrique, Szalai; Osayi-Samuel, Crespo, Arao, Kadioglu; Valencia, King, Batshuayi

We say: Gaziantep 0-2 Fenerbahce

Gaziantep have been collecting points from the majority of their matches since returning from the World Cup break but now face their hardest assignment of the year against a wounded Fenerbahce.

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