Başakşehir FK Vs Kasımpaşa

Round 17 of the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig will come to an end with a duel between two teams from the Marmara region; Istanbul Basaksehir hosting Kasimpasa on Monday evening at the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadyumu.

The Grey Owls have had the edge in this fixture, but this one seems a little more evenly poised than ever, with only three points’ difference between the two teams, and the hosts currently unpredictable for the past few games.

Following a excellent 2023-24 season the Istanbul Basaksehir improved the previous year’s success, starting the current season very strong.

But this seemed to be changing after a Super Lig match against Samsunspor which saw the Grey Owls losing and struggling to secure a victory in 11 out of their next 12 matches, besides going a record 10-match without a win in all competitions.

Atan’s side have since registered a three-match winning streak between November 30 and December 12, and none of their last two games was a win, including a 3-1 Super Lig reverse at the hands of Fenerbahce before a 1-1 draw at the expense of Belgian side Cercle Brugge in UEFA Conference League.

At the end of 15 Super Lig games, Basaksehir lies seventh in the table with 22 points, trailing fourth-place Eyupspor, who have two matches in hand at the time of writing.

The idea will be to bounce back immediately and the hosts will have all the reasons to feel positive going into Monday’s match up; having lost each of their last seven league meetings to the visitors.

Basaksehir are one of only three teams, along with Galatasaray and Goztepe, remaining unbeaten at home this season in the league after seven matches; they have won four and drawn three.

With two victories and two draws from four games across all competitions since his hiring on November 13, Hakan Keles seemed to have turned around Kasimpasa's dismal season.

Following back-to-back league draws against Sivasspor and Trabzonspor, they recently defeated Eyupspor 2-0 in the league and defeated Genclerbirligi, a team in the second division, 1-0 in the Turkish Cup on Thursday.

The Apaches have risen to 11th place in the rankings with 19 points after 15 games, three points behind Monday's opponents and eight points outside the top four. They have won two of their past five Super Lig games.

The visitors have a difficult time getting a win at a stadium where they have lost every game since a 2-2 draw in December 2020, but extending this current run could give them a chance to tie their fifth-place finish from the previous campaign.

In addition to Berkay Ozcan, who will no longer play for Basaksehir as a result of the manager's announcement, many other players are also suspended; Ousseynou Ba, Deniz Turuc, and Jerome Opoku are all out because of their cumulative yellow card totals.

Goalie Muhammad Sengezer (rib), Philippe Keny (thigh), Serdar Gurler (muscle), and midfielders Joao Figueiredo and Onur Ergun are all out due to ankle injuries.

Krzysztof Piatek, who has ten goals and is tied for first place in the Super Lig scorer's list, will be looking to score for the seventh straight game in all competitions.

Kevin Rodrigues, who was suspended after exceeding the yellow card threshold, will not be playing for Kasimpasa.

Due to a ligament injury, Nigerian defender Kenneth Omeruo will also be absent from the match.