After a humiliating defeat to Dinamo Zagreb last week in the Europa League, Fenerbahce need to bounce right back and put on a good performance against one of their biggest rivals, Besiktas. They’re gonna get a lot of support from the stands of their stadium, Sukru Saracoglu, but will it be enough to win points against the in-form Besiktas? Find out in this Fenerbahce vs Besiktas match preview!
Fenerbahce
Fener have been in a very poor form since the new season has started. They have just 6 points after 5 rounds of the Turkish Superlig. They need to start playing much, much better ASAP if they still plan to challenge the title.
Their poor form reached its peak last Thursday when they got defeated 4:1 by Dinamo Zagreb. Okay, to be completely fair, that match was played in Croatia, where Dinamo have always been strong. And Fener aren’t too good when it comes to playing on the road. That said, they will have a slight advantage on Monday evening because the game is played at their turf.
The Sukru Saracoglu Stadium is the place where they won most of their points in the season 2017/2018, when they finished on the second spot on the table. That’s also the place where they scored 42 goals in 17 games, which is almost 2.5 goals per game on average. Unfortunately for their fans, that’s all in the past. This season, Fener don’t look powerful even when playing in front of their own crowd. So far, they’ve won one home game and lost one.
So, what’s the reason for their poor run? Well, one of the things that might have influence on their performance is the departure of Aykut Kocaman who was their manager last season. The man who’s currently in charge is Phillip Cocu, a Dutch manager who used to manage PSV for more than five years.
Besiktas
Besiktas are without a defeat since August and have won their previous three matches. The reason why they’re playing this well is pretty obvious – they have some really good players in the squad. It seems that there isn’t a single weak spot in this team. They have at least one fantastic player in every positon on the pitch.
Comparing the player quality, they are the favorites against Fener. But, there’s one thing that should worry their fans – Besiktas aren’t too great when playing away from home. The good news is that they’re not playing too far away from home, as the stadium of Fener is only a couple of miles to the south from Besiktas venue. This means that their fans are gonna be there on Monday to give them support.
Team News
Fenerbahce absentees:
- Tolga Cigerci (injury)
Besiktas absentees:
- Gary Medel (suspension)
- Adriano (doubtful)
Possible Lineups
Fenerbahce
Demirel – Skrtel, Neustadter, Ozbayrakli, Kaldirim – Topal, Souza, Giuliano, Dirar, Valbuena – Soldado
Besiktas
Karius – Pepe, Vida, Gonul, Erkin – Ozyakup, Arslan, Ljajic, Quaresma, Babel – Vagner Love
Fenerbahce vs Besiktas Match Prediction
Besiktas have a very bad history with Fener, especially in games played at Sukru Saracoglu. They won only on few occasions in the last twenty years or so. But, now might be the time for change. They are in a much better form then their arch-rivals and winning does seem like something they can achieve on Monday.
But, even if they fail to win all 3 points, I doubt they will lose. Therefore, if you want to make money betting, put some on double chance Draw/Besiktas.
Fenerbahce vs Besiktas Betting Tips
- Double Chance X2 @1.57 (bet365)