Fenerbahce travel to face Alanyaspor at Bahcesehir School Arena on Sunday, aiming to keep their Turkish Super Lig title hopes alive.
The Yellow Canaries are currently six points behind league leaders Galatasaray and will be determined to maintain the pressure in the hope that the table-toppers slip up.
Match preview
With no margin for error, Fenerbahce know that any setback could spell the end of their title ambitions, but Jose Mourinho's side came dangerously close to such a scenario last weekend, falling 2-0 behind against Caykur Rizespor within the opening 15 minutes.
However, they were handed a lifeline just before half-time when debutant Milan Skriniar was pulled down in the penalty area, earning them a penalty and reducing Rizespor to 10 men, with Edin Dzeko calmly converting from the spot to Fenerbahce a crucial boost going into the second half.
The game took another dramatic turn in the 78th minute when Rizespor's Rachid Ghezzal was bizarrely sent off, with the Algerian receiving two yellow cards within seconds – first for time-wasting as he walked off when being substituted, then immediately another for directing foul language at the referee.
From that moment, Fenerbahce took full control against the nine men of Rizespor, as Dzeko levelled the score just a minute later, before Youssef En-Nesyri secured a dramatic 3-2 victory with a powerful header in the 89th minute.
It was far from a convincing performance from the Yellow Canaries, but the win kept them firmly in the title race and extended their Super Lig winning streak to six matches.
Mourinho's men followed that up with a dominant 5-0 victory over second-tier Erzurumspor in the Turkish Cup on Wednesday, restoring confidence ahead of Sunday's trip to Alanyaspor.
Fenerbahce have historically dominated this fixture, winning 12 of their 20 meetings while suffering just three defeats, while they are unbeaten in their last six Super Lig encounters against the hosts, winning five of them.
Meanwhile, Alanyaspor head into this clash brimming with confidence after pulling off a major upset last weekend, beating Goztepe 1-0 to hand them their first home defeat of the season, a feat they achieved despite missing several key players and conceding a flurry of chances.
Sami Ugurlu's men backed that result up with a commanding 4-1 win over Fatih Karagumruk in the Turkish Cup on Thursday, extending their winning streak to three matches across all competitions.
With back-to-back league wins, Alanyaspor have climbed to ninth in the standings on 28 points, now enjoying an 11-point cushion above the relegation zone.
A meeting with an in-form Fenerbahce may prove too great a challenge for Ugurlu's side to take maximum points, but given their recent momentum, they will be hopeful of pulling off an upset against a team they last beat at home in 2019.
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Team News
Alanyaspor will turn to Yusuf Karagoz in goal following the suspension of experienced shot-stopper Ertugrul Taskiran due to accumulated yellow cards.
Buluthan Bulut remains sidelined through injury, but Gaius Makouta and Fidan Aliti return to the squad after serving suspensions.
Fenerbahce continue to be without first-choice goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic (thigh), meaning Irfan Can Egribayat will retain his place between the sticks.
Full-back Mert Muldur (shoulder) is also unavailable, while Rodrigo Becao and Jayden Oosterwolde remain out with long-term knee injuries.
New signing Diego Carlos has suffered an inner ligament injury and will be sidelined until mid-March, while Allan Saint-Maximin, Yusuf Akcicek and Alexander Djiku are also unavailable due to injuries.
Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:
Taskiran; Hadergjonaj, Ceken, Lima, Ozdemir; Aksoy, Richard, Karaca; Lopes, Hwang, Christian
Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:
Egribayat; Soyuncu, Skriniar, Mercan; Aydin, Fred, Amrabat, Kostic; Talisca, Szymanski, Dzeko
We say: Alanyaspor 1-3 Fenerbahce
While the hosts have shown resilience in recent games, Mourinho's men boast superior quality in attack and that is likely going to be the difference on Sunday.
We expect a competitive clash, with Fenerbahce's defensive injury crisis causing their backline to be opened up, but ultimately triumphing due to their firepower.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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