Another crucial tie awaits second-placed Fenerbahçe, who will welcome Konyaspor to Kadiköy to battle it out in the 23rd week of Spor Toto Süper Lig on Monday to pile on the pressure for log leaders Galatasaray.
The Yellow Canaries were dealt a harsh blow when they were held to a one-all stalemate by Adana Demirspor away from home, the three-match winning streak in the league coming to an abrupt halt thanks to some highly contentious officiating.
Faced with a six-point deficit to league-leading Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe is determined to make up ground and reassert their position at the top of the standings by overpowering Konyaspor in their upcoming match.
The Jorge Jesus-led side will be heading to Monday's square-off in second place with 45 points, while their green-jersey-wearing counterparts, Konyaspor, sit on eighth with a meager 27 points.
It is noteworthy that Konyaspor was the better of the two teams in the reverse fixture earlier this season when they handed over the Istanbul giants their initial setback, a slender 1-0 win.
Heading to Monday's encounter, Fenerbahçe's head coach Jorge Jesus will not be able to issue instructions from the sidelines after he was given a red card following his altercation with referee Ali Palabıyık following the explosive conclusion of the Adana Demirspor match, which was rife with controversial moments.
Consequently, Joao de Deus will take the reins of Fenerbahçe as the team manager.
To add insult to injury, Fenerbahce will be bereft of its two essential players during the upcoming Konyaspor clash.
The Yellow Canaries will lament the absence of their incendiary Belgian striker, Michy Batshuayi, who could not avoid a yellow card in the Adana Demirspor away game and was thus suspended, as well as the absent Joao Pedro, who has been sidelined due to a troublesome injury.
The impending danger of a tie is not to be overlooked, as seven Fenerbahçe players currently stand precariously on the brink of suspension due to their accumulating yellow card tallies.
Fenerbahçe's Serdar Aziz, Gustavo Henrique, Attila Szalai, Mert Hakan Yandaş, Ferdi Kadıoğlu, Miha Zajc and Emre Mor will be ineligible to partake in the Kayseri away match should any of them receive a card.
