Galatasaray will look to preserve their unbeaten record in the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig while maintaining their six points lead at the top of the table when they travel to face Kasimpasa on Sunday.
The league leaders remain undefeated after 24 matches, winning 20 and drawing four – however, their recent struggles in front of goal could be a cause for concern.
Match preview
Galatasaray stayed in control of the Super Lig title race after a goalless draw against fierce rivals Fenerbahce in last Monday's intercontinental derby, which ensured they retained their six-point advantage at the summit.
Despite dominating possession, Cimbom struggled to break down a resolute Fenerbahce defence, managing just four attempts and one shot on target, compared to their opponents' 10 attempts and three efforts on goal.
Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic took charge of the game, yet both Okan Buruk and Jose Mourinho could not resist taking digs at his performance from different perspectives, and adding to the controversy, Trabzonspor swiftly issued a statement demanding Vincic officiate their upcoming fixtures against both Fenerbahce and Galatasaray.
Amid the off-field drama, Galatasaray must now shift their focus back to football, having failed to score in consecutive matches following another goalless draw against Konyaspor in the Turkish Cup on Thursday, and they are currently on a run of three successive competitive draws.
Pressure is mounting on Buruk, with fans growing frustrated by recent results, and given that the reverse fixture between these two sides ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw, Sunday's match could be a potential stumbling block for the title-chasing visitors.
That said, Galatasaray had won five straight meetings against Kasimpasa before that draw, including two victories at this venue.
Meanwhile, Kasimpasa will be desperate to halt a poor run of form, having suffered back-to-back league defeats and three consecutive losses in all competitions.
The Apaches were beaten 3-1 by Fenerbahce before falling 2-1 to Antalyaspor in their most recent Super Lig outing, and their misery was compounded in midweek as they suffered a humiliating 5-0 home defeat to Goztepe in the Turkish Cup.
Newly appointed manager Burak Yilmaz has a tough task ahead, with Kasimpasa slipping to ninth in the standings, now 10 points adrift of the top four.
A clash against the reigning champions is far from ideal in their current predicament, particularly given their struggles at home—they hold the fourth-worst home record in the league this season.
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Team News
Kasimpasa will be without Aytac Kara, who has been sidelined with a meniscus injury, meaning Can Keles could step into midfield.
Yilmaz was unimpressed with Mortadha Ben Ouanes and Yasin Ozcan's performances against Antalyaspor, so Josip Brekalo and Nicolas Opoku may be handed starts.
Galatasaray, on the other hand, will be missing Yunus Akgun due to suspension, while Ismail Jakobs continues to struggle with an Achilles problem.
Their attacking options have also been hit hard, with Alvaro Morata nursing a hamstring injury and Mauro Icardi ruled out for the season with a cruciate ligament tear.
Kasimpasa possible starting lineup:
Gianniotis; Winck, Piatowski, Ozcan, Rodrigues; Cafu; Ouanes, Hajradinovic, Barak, Fall; Costa
Galatasaray possible starting lineup:
Muslera; Frankowski, Sanchez, Bardakci, Elmali; Lemina, Torreira; Sallai, Sara, Yilmaz; Osimhen
We say: Kasimpasa 1-2 Galatasaray
Kasimpasa face a daunting 90 minutes as Galatasaray still boast top-quality attacking options despite their recent struggles in front of goal, but the real concern for Cimbom is their ability to hold onto a lead, not forgetting how they threw away a two-goal advantage in the reverse fixture – and yet we still expect the league leaders to secure victory on Sunday.
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