Istanbul Basaksehir—a high-flying outfit in Turkey’s Super League—welcomes an out-of-sorts Fiorentina side to the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium on Thursday for their Europa Conference League Group A fixture with kickoff at 10 pm.
The Istanbul Basaksehir Football Club is on an impressive 20-game unbeaten run across all competitions, dating back to March last season. They have won each of their last five matches this term and currently sit atop the Super Lig table.
The Grey Owls made it back-to-back league victories after claiming a slender 1-0 away win against city rivals Besiktas last weekend. They will look to continue their 100 percent record in the Europa Conference League when they visit Hearts at Tynecastle on Thursday evening.
Striker Hasan Ali Kaldirim opened his account for the season in Edinburgh last week. At the same time, Youssouf Ndayishimiye, Stefano Okaka, and Berkay Ozcan also found the net against the Jambos. The latter is expected to welcome new signing Prince Buaben from injury this week.
Fiorentina has been on a poor run of form, losing their last seven matches. The Viola played out a 1-1 draw at home to Latvian minnows Rigas Futbola Skola in their opening Europa Conference League group game last week, with Antonin Barak’s opener midway through the second half cancelled out by a strike from Andrej Ilic in the 74th minute.
Basaksehir vs Fiorentina Head to Head
Both sides are yet to face each other, and this marks their first encounter. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Besiktas 0-1 Basaksehir
- Hearts 0-4 Basaksehir
- Basaksehir 2-0 Alanyaspor
- Royal Antwerp 1-3 Basaksehir
Away
- Bologna 2-1 Fiorentina
- Fiorentina 1-1 RFS
- Fiorentina 1-1 Juventus
- Udinese 1-0 Fiorentina
Basaksehir Team News
While Mesut Ozil has missed the last three matches due to injury, he has been spotted in training this week and could be in contention to return to the matchday squad. Goalkeeper Muhammed Sengezer started against Hearts, but Volkan Babacan returned to the first XI against Besiktas, and he could retain his place on Thursday.
Fiorentina Team News
Fiorentina will have to do without injured trio Nikola Milenkovic, Gaetano Castrovilli, and Dodo, while Alfred Duncan is doubtful and will be assessed ahead of kickoff. He will likely start at centre-back alongside Lucas Martinez Quarta, who scored in the same game last weekend.
Prediction and Odds
Istanbul Basaksehir is on a roll this season, with their opponents going from strength to strength.
- Home Win
- Goals Over 2.5
- Both Teams to Score
