Besiktas will return to the Turkish Super Lig after a disappointing week of Champions League action when they welcome Sivasspor to Vodafone Park on Saturday evening.
The reigning Turkish champions are amongst the teams fighting for the title once again, whilst Sivasspor have bounced back from a disappointing start to the season and retain an outside chance of challenging for a European spot themselves.
Match preview
Beaten in their first two Champions League fixtures against Borussia Dortmund and Ajax, Besiktas' return to Europe's premier competition has not gone to plan so far and the Black Eagles will face tough competition if they are to be competing in it next year.
Currently in fourth two points behind leaders Fenerbahce, Besiktas have not looked their usual imperious selves at times this season, dropping points against teams they ought to have beaten.
A goalless draw to Gaziantep in their second game of the season was followed up by an impressive three-game winning streak, before Sergen Yalcin's team failed to win their next two against Adana Demirspor and Altay.
Should Besiktas fail to win once again on Saturday it will be two days short of exactly a year since they had gone three matches without a victory, following a 2-1 defeat to Genclerbirligi Ankara on October 4, 2020.
Unbeaten in their last five league matches, Sivasspor will prove tough opposition for the 16-time Turkish champions, not least because they have an impressive record at Vodafone Park.
Winning two of their previous three away matches against Besiktas, both by a 2-1 margin, an in-form Sivasspor side will have hopes of inflicting more frustration over last season's champions.
They actually enter the clash in much better form than their opponents, with Sivasspor looking to make it three consecutive league wins for the first time since April.
Despite being forced to wait until the fifth match of the season for their first victory, Sivasspor have won their last two matches, including an impressive 4-0 triumph over Fatih Karagumruk last weekend.
That result took them to 11th in the table and a surprise victory over Besiktas should push them up into the top half of the table, whilst the hosts will be looking to keep up with the early pacesetters.
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Team News
Hopes of retaining the Super Lig title for the first time since 2016-17 will depend entirely on how a depleted Besiktas side manage their ongoing injury crisis.
Rachid Ghezzal, Mehmet Topal, Alex Teixeira and Cyle Larin will be absent for the hosts after they all suffered thigh injuries in recent weeks.
Necip Uysal has only managed two starts this season, even captaining the side in their win over Yeni Malatyaspor, and the experienced defensive midfielder is set to miss the visit of Sivasspor.
Former Tottenham Hotspur man Georges-Kevin Nkoudou will not play for the home side, neither will Domagoj Vida or Francisco Montero who are both out through injury.
Adding salt to the wound for Yalcin, Valentin Rosier was sent off in the 98th minute against Adana Demirspor and this weekend's fixture will be the second match of his three-game suspension.
Besiktas have been boosted by the acquisition of former Juventus and Barcelona midfielder Miralem Pjanic, who has started all but one game for the side since joining.
By contrast, Sivasspor have a relatively clean bill of health, with only a handful of players absent for Riza Calimbay on Saturday.
Aaron Appindangoye has been missing in recent weeks for the visitors, as has Leke James and whilst the pair's returns are close, they are both expected to miss the trip to Istanbul.
Dimitrios Goutas has been a surprise source of goals for Sivasspor, netting four times, and the centre-back will feature for the away side.
Former Leicester City and Bournemouth man Max-Alain Gradel has played every match this season, and the 33-year-old will be looking to add to his goal and assist last time out when he lines up against Besiktas.
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Gunok; N'Sakala, Saatci, Hutchinson, Yilmaz; Souza, Pjanic; Tore, Ozyakup, Ucan; Karaman
Sivasspor possible starting lineup:
Yildirim; Ciftci, Osmanpasa, Goutas, Oguz; Arslan, Fajr, Felix; Gradel, Kayode, Henrique
We say: Besiktas 2-1 Sivasspor
Looking to end a run of three matches without a win across all competitions, Sivasspor should represent an ideal opponent for Besiktas to bounce back against.
That being said, the visitors have enjoyed some success in recent trips to the Vodafone Arena, making Saturday's matchup a potential headache for the reigning champions.
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