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A battle between the defending champions and champions-in-waiting will take place in the Turkish Super Lig as Trabzonspor host Besiktas on Sunday.
The hosts come into the game on the back of a 3-2 defeat away to Rizespor before the international break. All five goals came in the second half, with Joel Pohjanpalo scoring a hat-trick to inspire his side to the win.
Besiktas played out a 1-1 draw with Hatayaspor on home turf. Michy Batshuayi's 16th-minute strike was canceled out by Saba Lobjanidze's goal four minutes before the break.
The draw means the capital side sit in eighth spot in the table, having garnered 46 points from 30 matches. Trabzonspor still maintain a healthy 15-point advantage at the summit with just eight matches to go.
Trabzonspor vs Besiktas Head-to-Head
The two sides have clashed on 105 occasions in the past and Besiktas have a slightly better record with 42 wins to their name.
Trabzonspor were victorious on 38 occasions, while 25 previous fixtures ended in a share of the spoils.
Their most recent meeting came in November 2021. Andreas Cornelius scored an injury-time goal to help Trabzonspor secure a 2-1 away win.
Trabzonspor form guide (all competitions): L-W-D-W-W
Besiktas form guide (all competitions): D-L-D-L-W
Trabzonspor vs Besiktas Team News
Trabzonspor
Marek Hamsik, Ahmetcan Kaplan and Vitor Hugo have been ruled out with injuries, while Anders Trondsen is a doubt for the game. Bruno Peres is suspended due to accumulated yellow cards.
Injuries: Marek Hamsik, Ahmetcan Kaplan, Vitor Hugo
Suspension: Bruno Peres
Besiktas
Mart Gunok, Oguzhan Ozyakup and Miralem Pjanic are all unavailable due to injuries.
Injuries: Mart Gunok, Oguzhan Ozyakup and Miralem Pjanic
Suspension: None
Trabzonspor vs Besiktas Predicted XI
Trabzonspor Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Erce Kardesler (GK); Ismail Koybasi, Huseyin Turkmen, Stefano Denswill, Serkan Arsan; Manolis Siopis, Dorukhan Tokoz; Anthony Nwakaeme, Abdulkadir Omur, Edin Visca; Djaniny
Besiktas Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Ersin Destanoglu (GK); Valentin Rosier, Serdar Saatcı, Francisco Montero, Umut Meras; Necip Uysal, Can Bozdogan; Rachid Ghezzal, Alex Teixeira, Cyle Larin; Michy Batshuayi
$1,000 Risk-Free Bet at BetMGM SB
Trabzonspor vs Besiktas Prediction
Trabzonspor are well-positioned to win their first league title in almost four decades and will relish getting all three points against the side they are about to dethrone.
On paper, Besiktas have what it takes to trouble the hosts, but their inconsistent displays this season mean that not much can be expected. We are backing Trabzonspor to claim a narrow victory with goals to be scored at both ends.
Prediction: Trabzonspor 2-1 Besiktas
