Fenerbahçe faces a pivotal test on Tuesday as they welcome Gaziantep FK to the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, desperate to shake off a shock first league loss and keep pace in the Turkish Süper Lig title race.
The Yellow Canaries trail leaders Galatasaray by seven points after surrendering their unbeaten record last Friday in a 2-0 defeat to bottom club Fatih Karagümrük.
With the defending champions idle this week, a win could cut the gap to four points and reignite Fenerbahçe’s title hopes.
The last fortnight has mirrored struggles from previous seasons, with the Kadıköy side struggling for consistency.
They claimed only one win in four league matches, a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Samsunspor, before the stunning Karagümrük defeat sent shockwaves through Turkish football and prompted reports of an urgent board meeting to assess head coach Domenico Tedesco’s future.
History favors Fenerbahçe in the upcoming clash.
The Yellow Canaries have won all 11 previous encounters with Gaziantep across competitions.
Yet, the Falcons arrive in Istanbul on a high, boasting a three-match unbeaten streak, highlighted by a commanding 4-1 away win over Antalyaspor, with Mohamed Bayo scoring twice and Kacper Kozlowski and Drissa Camara adding to the tally.
This will mark the third meeting between the sides this season, and Gaziantep has suffered heavy defeats in the first two: 4-0 in the league in October and another 4-0 loss in the Turkish Cup two weeks ago.
Despite that, the Falcons could sense an opportunity amid Fenerbahçe’s current vulnerabilities.
Injuries continue to disrupt Fenerbahçe’s lineup.
Edson Alvarez remains sidelined after ankle surgery, Nelson Semedo is out with an inner knee ligament injury, and both Anderson Talisca and Çağlar Söyüncü recover from partial muscle tears.
Goalkeeper Ederson, serving a one-match suspension against Karagümrük, is expected to return.
Gaziantep also faces selection challenges.
Salem M’Bakata and Ali Mevran Ablak are sidelined through injury, while Arda Kızıldağ, Christopher Lungoyi, and Nazım Sangare are suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
Badou Ndiaye and Kevin Rodrigues are doubts with lingering injuries.
