Looking to pick up their first win of the current Turkish Super Lig season, Trabzonspor will welcome Besiktas to Papara Park on Sunday evening.
Meanwhile, the visitors will be hoping to maintain their perfect start to the Super Lig campaign, having won three out of three.
Match preview
Trabzonspor's European involvement at the start of the season has seen them play two fewer games than most of the other teams in the Super Lig.
However, the Black Sea Storm have not had the best start to the campaign, having settled for goalless draws in both of their league games so far – against Sivasspor and Eyupspor.
These poor results led to former manager, Abdullah Avci, leaving by mutual consent, and he has been replaced by Senol Gunes, who is set to take charge of his first game on Sunday.
The Black Sea Storm have played both of their previous games on the road, and will be hosting their first home game when they take on Besiktas on Sunday.
Trabzonspor had three meetings against Sunday's opposition last season – twice in the league and once in the Turkish Cup – and they lost two and won one, though the win happened when they hosted this fixture in the league.
Gunes will hope his side can replicate the performance and result once again, to secure their first league win of this campaign – though there could be some doubt in their ability to do so, having lost their last two home matches across all competitions.
In contrast to what the hosts have experienced so far, Besiktas have had an exceptional start to the season, winning five of their six games across all competitions so far, including a commanding 5-0 victory over league champions Galatasaray in the Super Cup.
Three of those five wins have come in the league – 2-0 versus Samsunspor, 4-2 versus Antalyaspor and 2-0 versus Sivasspor – with the Black Eagles maintaining a perfect record to pick up nine points, which has left them in third, one point behind league leaders Fenerbahce who have played one extra game.
The appointment of Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who succeeded caretaker manager Serdar Topraktepe in June 2024, appears to have transformed Besiktas who finished sixth last season.
The Black Eagles will look to maintain their strong start when they take on one of the league's strong sides, and they can be confident of earning a good result here due to their form that has seen them draw and won one each of their last two away games across all competitions.
Team News
Trabzonspor will head into this match without Enis Destan, as the forward is nursing a shoulder injury that is expected to keep him away until October.
Edin Visca and new signing Anthony Nwakaeme are doubtful for this game, with both players hoping to fully recover from muscle issues.
Besiktas will be without two midfielders Semih Kilicsoy and Necip Uysal, who are sidelined with hip and ligament injuries, respectively.
Ciro Immobile, who has scored three league goals in this campaign, will hope to add to his tally when he expectedly leads the line for the visitors on Sunday.
Trabzonspor possible starting lineup:
Cakir; Malheiro, Mendy, Denswil, Elmali; Yokuslu, Lundstram; Orsic, Canak, Trezeguet; Dragus
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Gunok; Svensson, Gabriel, Topcu, Masuaku; Ndour, Al-Msurati; Rashica, Fernandes, Rafa; Immobile
We say: Trabzonspor 1-2 Besiktas
Trabzonspor have been in dire form this season, failing to win any of their last six matches across all competitions. Moreover, they have failed to find the net in their two league matches so far.
In contrast, Besiktas have been transformed under their new leadership and are in solid form, and for these reasons, we are predicting a win for the visitors.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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