Preview: Galatasaray vs. Fenerbahce – prediction, team news, lineups

Galatasaray have the chance to seal the Turkish Super Lig title when they host arch-rivals and closest challengers Fenerbahce at Rams Park on Sunday.

The home side only needs to avoid defeat to win the league, while also aiming to become the first Turkish club to reach 100 points in a season.

Match preview

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Galatasaray extended their winning run in the Super Lig to a remarkable 17 matches after a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Fatih Karagumruk last Sunday.

The Lions fell behind when Ryan Mendes found the net for Karagumruk, but restored parity in first-half stoppage time courtesy of Baris Yilmaz before Dries Mertens put them ahead in the second half.

With seven minutes remaining, Marcao equalised for Karagumruk, but Berkan Kutlu snatched all three points for Gala with a goal in the 90th minute.

With 99 points, Gala have already broken the record for most points in a 38-game Turkish Super Lig season. They could even make it even better by becoming the first-ever team in Turkish history to reach 100 points in a season.

The Lions will be crowned champions this Sunday if they avoid defeat to Fenerbahce. A run of three unbeaten league meetings against their arch-rivals will leave them confident of achieving the desired result this weekend.

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Fenerbahce were ahead for several weeks this season but they eventually faltered, losing top spot to Galatasaray and have been unable to reclaim it since.

Ismail Kartal‘s men dropped points in two of their last five matches, falling further behind. However, they pushed Gala’s coronation further with a 3-0 victory over Kayserispor last time out.

The Yellow Canaries know that their chances of dethroning their rivals as champions are now slim. The prospect of seeing Gala confirm the championship win against them could be a bitter pill to swallow as they head into Sunday’s clash.

However, the last time the visitors came to Rams Park, they lost 3-0. They have also lost two of the last three league meetings against the Lions, while drawing the last one.

It is important to note that the last time both sides met competitively was in the Super Cup last month. In that match, Fenerbahce fielded a reserve team and walked off the pitch after Galatasaray scored, forfeiting the game.

Galatasaray Turkish Super Lig form:

Fenerbahce Turkish Super Lig form:

Fenerbahce form (all competitions):

Team News

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Galatasaray have a fully fit squad ahead of Sunday’s clash as no injury or suspension has been reported.

Mauro Icardi leads the golden boot race with 23 goals, having a three-goal advantage over the closest challenger and he will be hoping to add more when he leads the line on Sunday.

The trio of Mertens, Yilmaz and Hakim Ziyech are expected to provide support for the striker once again, as they have done in the last four matches.

Fenerbahce will be without Rodrigo Becao as he is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

They will also be without Ismail Yuksek, Ryan Kent and Irfan Can Kahveci who are all sidelined with injuries.

Galatasaray possible starting lineup:
Muslera; Kohn, Nelsson, Kutlu, Ayhan; Torreira, Demirbay; Ziyech, Mertens, Yilmaz; Icardi

Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:
Livakovic; Kadioglu, Soyuncu, Muldur, Oosterwolde; Fred, Djiku; Tadic, Szymanski, Under; Dzeko

We say: Galatasaray 2-1 Fenerbahce

Galatasaray look like they cannot be stopped right now, not even for a team as good as Fenerbahce. They have dominated this fixture in recent times and look primed for a victory here. We are predicting a slender win for the hosts in this one.

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

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