Round 29 of the Turkish Super Lig resumes with league leaders Galatasaray hosting Caykur Rizespor at the Rams Park on Friday evening.
The hosts will head into this match looking to extend their lead at the top of the table depending on Fenerbahce's result, while the visitors will look to maintain close the gap on the teams in the last two European spots.
Match preview
Galatasaray maintained their two-point lead at the top of the Turkish Super Lig table with a hard-fought 1-0 win over rivals Besiktas last time out, courtesy of an early own goal by Al-Musrati.
Okan Buruk's side have picked up 75 points out of a possible 84 so far, only dropping points in three draws and one loss. However, they still have their arch-rivals Fenerbahce (73 points) breathing down their necks in what has been a close two-horse race for most of the season.
The Lions, who are already out of European competitions and the Turkish Cup, have the Super Lig as their only hope for silverware this season and will be looking to maintain their lead with only 10 matches left to play.
Gala's title charge has been largely fuelled by their solid defence, which has seen them concede just 15 goals in the Super Lig - seven fewer than the next-best defence.
Next up for Galatasaray is a home match against Rizespor, a side they have beaten in their last three meetings. However, the Lions will need to avoid complacency, having lost on home soil to the Black Sea Sparrowhawks in 2021.
Caykur Rizespor finally ended their five-game winless streak with a convincing 3-0 victory over Kayserispor last time out.
After a goalless first half, Ilhan Palut's side came alive in the second half following Burak Yilmaz's dismissal for Kayserispor, putting three goals past the opposition courtesy of Jonjo Shelvey, Altin Zeqiri, and Dal Varesanovic.
This result has seen Rizespor climb to seventh place, seven points adrift of third-placed Trabzonspor and fourth-placed Besiktas, who both lost their respective matches.
A poor run that saw the Black Sea Sparrowhawks record just one win in seven matches before last weekend threatened to kill their chances of making a push for European spots, but last round's results mean they can still dream of a possibility with 10 matches left in the season.
However, their trip to Galatasaray on Friday is a baptism of fire, and a loss could see them fall further behind in the race for Europe.
Team News
Galatasaray will have their whole squad available for the game, leaving Buruk with several options to choose from.
After missing two straight games, striker Mauro Icardi returned to the starting line up against Besiktas and is expected to spearhead the attack once again.
Rizespor are expected to remain without midfielder Okechukwu Azubuike, who continues to recover from an ACL injury and Benhur Keser, who is nursing a hamstring injury.
Martin Minchev is expected to spearhead the attack once again, while Varesanovic plays in the supporting role.
Shelvey returned to the starting lineup against Kayserispor and is expected to retain his spot after a fine performance alongside Ibrahim Olawoyin.
Galatasaray possible starting lineup:
Muslera; Kohn, Nelsson, Sanchez, Yilmaz; Torreira, Demirbay; Akturkoglu, Mertens, Tete; Icardi
Caykur Rizespor possible starting lineup:
Akkan; Sahin, Mocsi, Topcu, Hojer; Shelvey, Olawoyin; David, Varesanovic, Zeqiri; Minchev
We say: Galatasaray 2-0 Caykur Rizespor
Galatasaray have been superb in the league this season and are the clear favorites for this one. The Lions have won every league game at home in this campaign (14) and we think they will stretch that run to 15 games on Friday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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