Fenerbahce and Galatasaray meet in an eagerly-anticipated Intercontinental derby in the Turkish Super Lig. In the 398th meeting between the sides, this is the first of two clashes between the sides to end 2023, before they reconvene to compete in the Turkish Super Kupa on December 29. The two Istanbul giants sit level on 43 points, as the Super Lig title is already down to a two-horse race, with third-place Kayserispor a whopping 14 points adrift.
Fenerbahce will be without both Fred and Mert Hakan Yandas for this one, after the pair were sent off in injury time during their dramatic win over Kayserispor in midweek. Another possible huge absentee could be 16-goal Edin Dzeko, who missed the fixture with a minor issue, making him a doubt here. Batshuayi’s hat-trick suggests Fener have a capable replacement though, but they were the Belgian’s first league goals of the season, as he has been kept mainly for European encounters so far.
Galatasaray have significantly fewer selection problems heading into the big one, and they will be boosted by the return of goalkeeper Fernando Muslera after suspension. The Uruguayan stopper was banned after picking up his fourth caution of the season, but the experienced international is set to replace Gunay Guvenc, who deputised in midweek.
Wilfried Zaha was able to overcome a minor knock to take a place on the bench on Wednesday, but given the form of Akturkoglu and Hakim Ziyech, the Ivorian may have to settle for a place as a substitute once more. There is a three-way battle for a starting spot at left-back, with Baris Alper Yilmaz likely to get the nod over youngster Kazimcan Karatas, and Angelino, who has featured very little in the league this season.
With absolutely nothing to separate the sides points-wise in the league table, calling the winner in this enticing encounter is a thankless task.
Wednesday’s high-scoring win took Fener’s goal tally to 78 in just 28 matches this season, and Gala have been noted for their open, expansive style of play too, so this could be a fixture for the ages, even if it ends level.
