Fenerbahce host Istanbul Basaksehir at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium on Saturday evening with the pressure rising on both ends of the table. Fenerbahce are seven points behind Galatasaray, and a win for their city rivals would mathematically secure the Turkish Super Lig title even if Fenerbahce also take three points.
It has been a rough stretch for Fenerbahce, who lost only two league matches all season but stumbled in a way that has changed the feel of their campaign. They were unbeaten in the league until round 26, when they lost 2-0 to Fatih Karagumruk, then followed that with a 2-2 draw against Caykur Rizespor after conceding a very late equaliser. Their most damaging setback came in the Intercontinental Derby, where Galatasaray won 3-0 at RAMS Park after Fenerbahce missed a first-half penalty and Ederson was sent off by referee Yasin Kol. Domenico Tedesco left after that defeat, and Fenerbahce then fell 1-0 after extra time to Konyaspor in the Turkish Cup. Zeki Murat Gole is now in interim charge.
Saturday’s match matters most for Fenerbahce’s chase of second place and the Champions League spot that goes with it. They are trying to steady themselves after a run that has left little margin for error, with Trabzonspor only two points behind them in third place. Edson Alvarez is out with an ankle problem, while Archie Brown, Matteo Guendouzi and Mert Muldur are suspended through accumulated yellow cards, and Ederson is also unavailable after his red card last time out. Mert Gunok will deputise in goal, and Sidiki Cherif is expected to lead the line even though he has not scored since March.
Basaksehir arrive with a more settled feel. They are unbeaten in their last five matches and beat Kasimpasa 4-0 in their most recent outing. Earlier this season they held Fenerbahce to a 1-1 draw, and they have no major absentees this time. Eldor Shomurodov is expected to operate just behind the striker as Basaksehir try to extend their good run and keep building toward European qualification.
The visitors are chasing a place in Europe and are five points behind fourth-placed Besiktas, level on points with sixth-placed Goztepe and ahead only on goal difference. A fifth-place finish could still be enough for European qualification depending on the outcome of the Turkish Cup, which gives Basaksehir something real to play for even if the title race elsewhere has all the noise. For Fenerbahce, though, the question is simpler and heavier: whether a season that began with title hopes can still be rescued into something more orderly before it slips further out of reach.