Fenerbahce will be looking to quickly put their Europa League woes behind them when they travel to the Gursel Aksel Stadium to square off against Goztepe SK on Monday.

The hosts, on the other hand, will head into the game seeking to snap their run of four games without a win and move out of the relegation places.

Match preview

Fenerbahce saw their Europa League campaign come to an end last Thursday when they fell to a slender 1-0 defeat at the hands of Greek side Olympiacos.

Having picked up one win and two draws from their opening four games, the Turkish heavyweights needed all three points to keep their qualification chances alive.

However, it was late drama at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium as Brazilian forward Tiquinho Soares struck in the 89th minute to seal the hosts' place in the knockout stages and send the visitors packing.

Fenerbahce now turn their attention to the Super Lig, where they claimed an impressive Intercontinental Derby win over rivals Galatasaray at the Nef Stadyumu in their most recent league outing.

In that encounter, Kerem Akturkoglu and Mesut Ozil netted for either side to end the first half level before Miguel Crespo came up trumps for the visitors as he netted a 93rd-minute winner.

With 23 points from 13 games, the 19-time Super Lig champions are currently fifth on the log, three points behind the Champions League qualification spot.

Meanwhile, Goztepe avoided a second consecutive defeat last time out when they came from behind to salvage a 1-1 draw against Kayserispor away from home.

Ilhan Parlak broke the deadlock two minutes after the half-hour mark to hand the hosts a one-goal lead heading into the interval before Belgian defender Dino Arslanagic restored parity with eight minutes remaining on the clock.

Goztepe have now failed to taste victory in any of their most recent four games, losing twice and picking up three draws since a 2-1 win away to Kasimpasa on October 17.

Nestor El Maestro's men are currently level on 10 points with Caykur Rizespor and Kasimpasa at the tail end of the table and this has been owing to their struggles on home turf, where they are currently on a four-game losing streak and have lost all but one of their six games this term.

Team News

Goztepe will take to the pitch without Yalcin Kayan, who is set to serve the second of his three-game suspension after picking up a straight red in the 2-0 loss against Konyaspor on November 7.

The duo of midfielder Kerim Alici and defender Marko Mihojevic remain out of contention for the hosts after sustaining muscle and ankle injuries respectively.

Meanwhile, veteran defender Luiz Gustavo is set to sit out his fifth consecutive game after he was hooked off with an injury shortly before the hour mark in October's game against Konyaspor.

He is joined on the Fenerbahce injury table by forward Enner Valencia and goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, who are currently recuperating from ankle and shoulder injuries respectively.

In the absence of the latter, 21-year-old goalkeeper Berke Ozer is expected to start between the sticks for the fifth consecutive game in all competitions.

Congo DR defender Marcel Tisserand will also play no part in the game as he serves his suspension after receiving his marching orders in the 2-1 win over Galatasaray last weekend.

Goztepe SK possible starting lineup:
Egribayat; Arslanagic, Nukan, Cankaya; Paluli, Tijanic, Aydogdu, Emir; Akbunar, Lourency, Ndiaye

Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:
Ozer; Kadioglu, Kim, Sangare, Novak; Yandas, Sosa; Ozil, Zajc, Kahveci; Berisha

We say: Goztepe SK 0-2 Fenerbahce

Following their early exit from the Europa League, Fenerbahce will head into this game desperate to quickly restore some pride and edge closer to the Champions League qualification spot. We predict they will come out victorious on Monday as they take on an out-of-sorts Goztepe side who have struggled to find their footing this season.

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