Fenerbahce will be aiming to maintain their unbeaten start to the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig season when they host Alanyaspor at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium on Friday evening.
Meanwhile, the visitors have endured a winless start to the new campaign, losing one and drawing two of three matches so far.
Match preview
Fenerbahce returned to winning ways with a dominant display that saw them secure a 5-0 victory over Caykur Rizespor at the Caykur Didi Stadium last Sunday.
Brazilian midfielder Fred marked his return from injury with a hat trick, while the league's joint-top scorer Edin Dzeko found the net for the third straight league match, before Husniddin Aliqulov turned the ball into his own net to cap a five-star performance from the Yellow Canaries.
The victory helped Jose Mourinho's side end a two-match winless streak across all competitions, elevating them to the summit of the Super Lig with seven points, tied with Eyupspor, although both teams have played one more game than those occupying third to fifth.
Next on the agenda for Fenerbahce is a home fixture against a side they have not lost to since 2021, maintaining an unbeaten streak of six games, comprising five wins and one draw.
However, the draw occurred in the last encounter between both sides at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, and a similar outcome on Friday would not suffice for the Yellow Canaries, who are determined to dethrone their city rivals, Galatasaray.
Alanyaspor will aim to make life difficult for the home side, hoping to replicate the result from their last visit, and this will be a great result for them given their current form and ongoing winless streak against the hosts.
Fatih Tekke's side are one of six teams without a win in the Super Lig this season – they drew 1-1 with newly-promoted Goztepe at home last Friday, having previously lost 4-2 to Istanbul Basaksehir and started the season with a 1-1 draw against Eyupspor.
The Antalya-based side fell behind when Goztepe defender Heliton scored just before half time. However, they quickly equalised through Yusuf Ozdemir three minutes into the second half but could not find the winning goal.
The poor start has left the visitors in 15th place, just above the relegation zone, which is why a win away at Fenerbahce is important, though their only victory there was in October 2021.
Before the loss to Basaksehir, Tekke's men were on a seven-match unbeaten run on the road, including a 2-2 draw against the Yellow Canaries in February.
Team News
Fenerbahce will be without Turkish midfielder Mert Hakan Yandas, as he continues to serve his league-imposed ban.
Following their strong showing against Rizespor, Mourinho is expected to field the same starting XI, with Fred's impressive performance in the last match likely to secure his place.
Bonian forward Dzeko will be looking to extend his scoring streak to four consecutive league games as he leads the line once again.
Alanyaspor enters the match with a clean bill of health, offering Tekke a full squad to choose from.
Despite failing to score in his third consecutive game, Sergio Cordova will lead the attack for the visitors, hoping to find the net.
Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:
Livakovic; Muldur, Djiku, Soyuncu, Oosterwolde; Yuksek, Fred; Tadic, Szymanski, Saint-Maximin; Dzeko
Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:
Taskiran; Balkovec, Aliti, Bayir, Hadergjonaj; Makouta, Richard; Ozdemir, Karaca, Lopes; Cordova
We say: Fenerbahce 3-1 Alanyaspor
Still buoyed by their emphatic victory in the last match, we anticipate Fenerbahce to comfortably defeat the struggling Alanyaspor.
The visitors have conceded six goals in three games and are facing the league's highest-scoring team, making this a daunting task for them.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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