In the standout fixture on the return of the Turkish Super Lig, Trabzonspor welcome Fenerbahce to the Akyazi Stadium.

This represents a heavyweight clash between last year's champions and the current league leaders.

Match preview

For holders Trabzonspor, it has not been an ideal start, but despite sitting down in seventh, they remain just six points off top spot in a very close battle at the summit.

Losing top scorer Andreas Cornelius to FC Copenhagen and Edin Visca to injury have had a huge impact in attack though, so much so that their upcoming opponents have scored almost double the amount of goals as them this season.

Replacements Maxi Gomez and Yusuf Yazici have not been quite as lethal, as Trabzonspor have netted just 19 goals in their 13 games so far.

Following up after European nights also proved a problem before the mid-season break, as they picked up just seven points from seven games directly after a European fixture in the Autumn.

That will need to be rectified as they have Europa Conference League football to come in February.

Fenerbahce have been flying at the top of the Super Lig table for much of the season, but are only narrowly ahead in the title race now after being given a huge, unexpected shock in the final game before the World Cup.

Giresunspor became the first side since Basaksehir back in February, 14 matches ago, to win away at Fenerbahce domestically, in a remarkable 2-1 defeat for the league leaders.

Luckily, Fener had a buffer to fall back on meaning they held on to first place ahead of Galatasaray going into the break, but their lead is now just two points with many sides breathing down their necks as the top eight is separated by just seven points.

They put things right by returning to winning ways competitively against Istanbulspor in the cup this week, seeing off their fellow Super Lig outfit 3-1 to follow on from four wins from four in friendlies during the break against Rayo Vallecano, Villarreal, Alanyaspor and Salernitana.

Team News

Manager Abdullah Avci named a strong Trabzonspor side despite facing lower league opposition in the cup in the week.

However, that may have come at a cost as Everton loanee Jean-Philippe Gbamin went off after just half an hour.

Bruno Peres and Emrehan Gedikli are both back from injury, but neither featured in the win over Samsunspor on Wednesday.

Jens Stryger Larsen and Gomez were the Trabzonspor representatives at the World Cup, but the duo hardly featured and were both dumped out at the group stages with Denmark and Uruguay respectively, so have had plenty of time to readjust to club action.

Trezeguet and Tasos Bakasetas are both set to return after serving bans for accumulation of yellow cards, while there could be a long-awaited return for Visca, who has not featured since early August after suffering a serious arm injury.

An embarrassment of riches in attack meant Fenerbahce were able to make a couple of changes for their cup win this week.

World Cup star Enner Valencia played just 23 minutes off the bench but should start here.

Josh King scored and registered two assists in the win over Istanbulspor after also scoring in three of their four friendly wins during the break, but unfortunately could have to settle for a place on the bench behind Valencia and Michy Batshuayi.

Nazim Sangare and Luan Peres remain out for the visitors in defence with long-term injuries.

Trabzonspor possible starting lineup:
Cakir; Stryger Larsen, Bartra, Vitor Hugo, Elmali; Hamsik, Bakasetas, Bardhi; Visca, Gomez, Trezeguet

Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:
Bayindir; Kadioglu, Aziz, Szalai, Alioski; Willian Arao, Zajc, Kahveci; Valencia, Batshuayi, King

We say: Trabzonspor 2-2 Fenerbahce

Fenerbahce have been a goalscoring machine this season, and if Jorge Jesus opts to go with an offensive starting XI, they could find joy against a Trabzonspor side evidently slightly weaker than they were last season.

However, the potential return of Visca in attack could be a game changer for the hosts, given how vital he was to their title success with goals and assists.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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