Fenerbahce and Galatasaray are set to clash on Saturday at Ulker Fenerbahce Sukru Saracoglu Stadium for the highly anticipated first derby of the season in the Turkish Super Lig, the Istanbul Derby or as it is called The Intercontinental Derby
This match will mark the 401st encounter between the two rivals, with the hosts having won 149 times, while the visitors have claimed victory 128 times, resulting in 55 draws. Fenerbahce enters this Intercontinental derby sitting in second place with 13 points, just two points behind their arch-rivals, Galatasaray, after five matches.
Last season, the Yellow Canaries fell short in a record-breaking and fiercely contested title race, finishing three points behind their rivals despite amassing an impressive 99 points and losing just once.
Following this, Ismail Kartal departed at the end of his contract, and the club appointed experienced manager Jose Mourinho to prevent Galatasaray from achieving a three-peat of the Super Lig titles.
Fenerbahce has continued their strong form from last season, securing four wins and a draw in their opening five matches. However, they understand that they need to maintain near-perfect performance throughout the campaign to reach their goals.
Saturday presents the Yellow Canaries with a chance to surpass their rivals and hand them their first defeat of the season, even though they have struggled to secure a home win against Galatasaray in their last two encounters.
On the other hand, Galatasaray will aim to extend their unbeaten streak as they enjoy a strong start to their title-defending season. Okan Buruk’s squad, which won the Super Lig last season by becoming the first Turkish team to reach 100 points, has won all five of their matches, placing them at the top of the table.
The Lions initially had a slow start, winning their first two matches 2-1, but have since ramped up their performance, scoring 13 goals in their last three games while conceding only twice, with victories of 5-1, 5-0, and 3-1.
No team has scored more goals than Galatasaray in the Super Lig thus far, netting a total of 17, which is four more than Fenerbahce, who have the second-best attack in the league.
Buruk will rely on his potent offense once again as the Lions seek to extend their remarkable 10-match away winning streak in the Super Lig.
Fenerbahce will remain without Nigerian international Bright Osayi-Samuel, who has been sidelined for the last three matches due to a foot injury sustained against Goztepe on August 17.
Edin Dzeko has been in fine form for the Yellow Canaries, scoring four league goals to date, and the Bosnian will be eager to add to his tally after going scoreless in the Super Lig last match.
Dusan Tadic has netted three goals in the last two games and will be looking to continue his impressive performance in this high-stakes derby.
Galatasaray striker Mauro Icardi has missed the last two matches due to injury and is expected to be unavailable for this encounter.
Napoli loanee Victor Osimhen, who is set to return to the starting lineup after missing the previous game due to registration issues, will be aiming to score his first goal for Galatasaray.
Turkish winger Baris Yilmaz has scored in each of the last four league matches, making him joint-top of the Super Lig scoring charts. He is expected to start on Saturday and will be looking to extend his goal-scoring streak.
Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:
Livakovic; Muldur, Becao, Soyuncu, Oosterwolde; Yuksek, Fred; Saint-Maximin, Szymanski, Tadic; Dzeko
Galatasaray possible starting lineup:
Muslera; Ayhan, Sanchez, Bardakci, Kutlu; Torreira, Sara; Yilmaz, Mertens, Akgun; Osimhen
