Adana Demirspor will take on Galatasaray at the New Adana Stadium in the Turkish Super Lig on Saturday, hoping to pick up their first win of the season.
Meanwhile, the visitors will hope to maintain their perfect start to the league campaign, having won their two games so far.
Match preview
Adana Demirspor picked up their first point of the new Super Lig season after salvaging a 2-2 draw against Kasimpasa at the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stadium last Sunday.
It was looking like another defeat for the Blue Lightnings who were trailing by two goals at the hour mark, but Yusuf Barasi's 65th-minute goal and Jovan Manev's goal three minutes into the stoppage time made sure they took a share of the spoils.
A 1-0 loss against Fenerbahce on the opening day and a 2-1 defeat to Caykur Rizespor on matchday two means ADS have one point after three matches following their recent draw, a start that will be deemed unsatisfactory by head coach Michael Valkanis.
Adana Demirspor have now failed to win in their last six Super Lig matches, losing five and drawing one while conceding 19 goals and scoring seven since a 1-0 victory over Istanbulspor on May 4.
Things are not looking rosy for the Blue Lightnings who take on an opponent they have not beaten in the last five Super Lig encounters, including four defeats and one draw.
Since their last league outing, Galatasaray have engaged in a two-legged tie against Swiss side Young Boys with the aim of making into the new UEFA Champions League group stage.
However, they were schooled over both legs, losing 3-2 in the first leg that took place in Switzerland before a 1-0 defeat at home in the second leg – having a man sent off in both matches.
Back in the Super Lig with the aim of winning a third consecutive title and the 25th in their history, the Lions have started on a bright note with 2-1 wins over Hatayspor and Konyaspor in their opening two matches.
With six points, Gala are in fourth place, one point behind the top two teams in the table, Fenerbahce and Eyupspor, who have both played one more game.
The Lions will look to win a fourth straight Super Lig match, while a positive result on Saturday will also see them extend their 13-match away unbeaten run in the league, having last lost on the road to Hatayspor in November 2023.
Team News
Adana Demirspor enters the weekend with a clean bill of health and no suspension concerns, giving manager Valkanis the luxury of a full-strength squad at his disposal.
Barasi, who has scored in the last two league matches, is expected to lead the Blue Lightnings' attack once again.
Galatasaray will be without Davinson Sanchez, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury, and the Colombian centre-back is joined by another centre-back Ali Yesilyurt, on the injury list.
Mauro Icardi, last season's Super Lig top scorer, is expected to lead the Lions' attack as he looks to score his second league goal of this campaign.
Adana Demirspor possible starting lineup:
Donmezer; Manev, Guler, Gravillon, Burak; Balat, Maestro; Aymbetov, Sari, Alioui; Barasi
Galatasaray possible starting lineup:
Muslera; Jelert, Nelsson, Ayhan, Kohn; Torreira, Sara; Yilmaz, Mertens, Akturkoglu; Icardi
We say: Adana Demirspor 1-2 Galatasaray
Galatasaray have yet to find their stride this season, but as demonstrated in the opening two matches, their quality is sufficient to see them through, which is why we expect them to narrowly defeat a struggling Adana side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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