Archrivals Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray will clash this Saturday at Ülker Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in the highly anticipated first derby of the Turkish Süper Lig season.
This will mark the 401st showdown between the fierce rivals, with Fenerbahçe claiming 149 victories, Galatasaray winning 128, and the teams sharing the spoils 55 times.
Fenerbahçe will enter the season’s first “intercontinental derby” in second place with 13 points, trailing Galatasaray by two points after five matches.
The Yellow Canaries narrowly missed out on the title last season in a record-breaking, fiercely contested race.
Despite racking up 99 points and suffering only one loss, they finished just three points behind Galatasaray.
In response, İsmail Kartal departed at the end of his contract, and the club turned to seasoned manager Jose Mourinho to prevent Galatasaray from securing a Süper Lig three-peat.
Fenerbahçe has carried its momentum from last season, starting strong with four wins and a draw in its first five matches.
However, the team knows that a near-perfect run is crucial to achieving its goals this season.
Saturday presents a golden opportunity for the Yellow Canaries to leapfrog their rivals and hand Galatasaray its first defeat of the campaign, though Fenerbahçe has failed to secure a home victory against the Lions in its last two attempts.
Galatasaray will look to extend its unbeaten streak as it continues an impressive start to its title defense.
Okan Buruk’s squad, fresh off last season’s historic triumph as the first Turkish team to reach 100 points, has won all five matches so far, sitting comfortably at the top of the table.
After a modest start with back-to-back 2-1 victories, the Lions have found their stride, racking up 13 goals in their last three games while conceding only twice, with dominant wins of 5-1, 5-0, and 3-1.
No team has been more prolific than Galatasaray in the Süper Lig this season, with 17 goals – four more than second-best Fenerbahçe.
Coach Okan Buruk will once again rely on his high-powered attack as the Lions aim to extend their remarkable 10-match away winning streak in the league.
Fenerbahçe will remain without Nigerian international Bright Osayi-Samuel, who has missed the last three matches due to a foot injury sustained against Göztepe on Aug. 17.
Edin Dzeko has been in fine form for the Yellow Canaries, netting four league goals, and the Bosnian striker will be eager to get back on the scoresheet after his first goalless outing in the Süper Lig last match.
Meanwhile, Dusan Tadic has hit a rich vein of form, scoring three goals in his last two games, and the Serbian playmaker will look to keep that momentum going in this high-stakes derby.
Galatasaray striker Mauro Icardi has missed the last two matches due to injury and is expected to remain unavailable for this encounter.
Napoli loanee Victor Osimhen, who is set to return to the starting XI after missing the previous game due to registration issues, will be eager to net his first goal for Galatasaray.
Turkish winger Barış Yılmaz has been on a scoring spree, finding the net in each of the last four league matches, placing him joint-top of the Süper Lig scoring charts. He is expected to start on Saturday and will look to extend his impressive goal-scoring streak.