A clash of two sides at contrasting ends of the Turkish Super Lig table sees Gaziantep host Fenerbahce at the Gaziantep Stadium on Sunday evening.

Sitting two points clear at the top, the away side aim to maintain their lead, while the hosts desperately need points to avoid the drop zone.

Match preview

Gaziantep have begun the year with back-to-back draws, settling for a goalless stalemate with Hatayspor last time out, five days after the frustrating 2-2 draw against Pendikspor where they surrendered a two-goal lead in the final 13 minutes.

Marius Sumudica's side have won just once in their last five Super Lig matches, a 3-0 victory over Fatih Karagumruk at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, which saw them end a four-game winless run in the league.

However, the draw against Hatayspor and Pendikspor means that Gaziantep have now gone four consecutive league games without defeat for the first time since August 2022, when they kicked off the 2022-23 campaign with three wins and one draw in the opening four games.

The Gaziantep-based outfit have now picked up six wins, three draws and 10 defeats in their 19 Super Lig games to collect 21 points and sit 14th in the table, level on points with 13th-placed Ankaragucu.

However, a huge task awaits Sumudica's men on Sunday as they welcome a side that has beaten them eight times in 10 meetings, including their last four.

Fenerbahce recorded their biggest win of the season on Wednesday, thrashing Konyaspor 7-1 at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, with Edin Dzeko bagging a first-half hat-trick.

Mert Muldur and Sebastian Szymanski also got on the scoresheet in the first half, before Michy Batshuayi and an own goal from Konyaspor's Ugurcan Yazgili completed the drubbing for the league leaders in the second half.

The 2023-24 Super Lig title race has been a two-horse affair between Fenerbahce and Galatasaray since the first half of the season, with both clubs pulling clear of the chasing pack. However, the Yellow Canaries now boast a two-point lead after Gala's draw with Sivasspor on Thursday.

Fener and Gala were poised to lock horns for the Turkish Super Cup just before the New Year, but the much-anticipated showdown was scuppered at the last minute due to what the clubs termed as "some problems" in the event's organisation.

Ismail Kartal's side are back on the road this weekend, where they have been formidable this season, taking 25 of a possible 27 points on offer, while staying unbeaten with eight wins and one draw in nine away matches.