Title contenders Fenerbahce are 12 places above Ankaragucu in the Super Lig table heading into Saturday's encounter at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.

Both sides returned to winning ways last time out, with Fener defeating Fatih Karagumruk 2-1 and the Ankara outfit claiming a 3-2 success in the relegation six-pointer against Istanbulspor.

Match preview

Having chased Galatasaray for almost the entire season, Fenerbahce would have hoped for the Super Lig leaders to drop points in the league.

They did, only for the Yellow Canaries to lose soon after when they could have reduced the gap on the side atop the standings.

Admittedly, that 4-2 defeat was at the hands of Besiktas, the third team in the equation for the league title, who are just two points adrift of Jorge Jesus's team.

The Istanbul side are six points adrift of Galatasaray and cannot rule out a late shot at their 20th championship, but they must fix their erratic form in front of their fans.

Fener have the fifth-best home record in the league, losing two of their last five in the competition, and they cannot afford to lose valuable points on their turf if the goal is to supplant the first-place outfit in the closing weeks of the season.

As for Ankaragucu, their position was precarious before the 3-2 triumph over Istanbulspor on April 8, and probably still is.

That win took them to 14th place, four points clear of Giresunspor, who occupy 16th, as the campaign reaches its final gameweeks.

A trip to Istanbul is daunting not only because of the magnitude of the opposition but also due to the visitors' form on their travels.

Four of their last five league games have been defeats, with the recent three seeing them concede five and score just once.

That said, a slight positive to consider is that only one road game has seen Tolunay Kafkas's team beaten by more than two goals — a 4-1 loss at Fatih Karagumruk in August — while only two away games have resulted in two-goal margin defeats.

The fact they are seldom embarrassed on their travels gives them an ever-slight chance, even if Fenerbahce — who won the reverse fixture 3-0 — are resounding favourites.

Team News

Lincoln is out for the rest of the season following a cruciate ligament rupture, Joshua King is expected to be out until May due to muscle issues and Michy Batshuayi is missing with a groin injury.

Luan Peres's physical problems could rule him out of Saturday's outing, and Ferdi Kadioglu is suspended after picking up a yellow card against Karagumruk.

Kafkas has no reported absentees and is expected to have a healthy squad to pick from for this weekend's game.

However, the Ankaragucu coach could switch to a back three at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.

Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:
Bayindir; Osayi-Samuel, Akaydin, Szalai, Alioski; Mor, Yuksek, Arao, Kahveci; Valencia, Dursun

Ankaragucu possible starting lineup:
Akkhan; Radakovic, Cankaya, Mujakic; Kitsiou, Diack, Antalyali, Kaldirim; Zahid, Kilinc; Sowe

We say: Fenerbahce 3-1 Ankaragucu

Despite defeats by Galatasaray and Besiktas in 2023, Fenerbahce are expected to have too much strength for the visiting side, who should suffer a fourth away loss on the trot.


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