Mid-table Yeni Malatyaspor host Istanbul Basaksehir on Sunday afternoon, with the visiting team looking to win on the road in order to keep up the pressure on their rivals at the top of the Super Lig standings. However, with Yeni having won their last two league fixtures, it could well be a close encounter at the Malatya Arena this weekend.
Turkish Super Lig – Malatya Arena, Malatya – Sunday 5th November – 13:30 UK Time
Match Preview
Erol Bulut and his Yeni Malatyaspor players will be looking to continue their recent good form when they take on Istanbul Basakserhir in front of their home supporters on Sunday afternoon, despite going into the game as the underdogs for victory. The away side currently sit second in the Super Lig standings, making them the favourites for a seventh win of the campaign.
Yeni Malatyaspor Team News & Form
Recent wins over Genclerbirligi and Trabzonspor have lifted Yeni Malatyaspor into tenth position in the Turkish top-flight standings, with manager Bulut undoubtedly hoping that his teams good run of form can continue into the weekend. Moroccan forward Khalid Boutaib scored the winning goal for the home side last time around, his fifth goal since his summer move from Strasbourg in France. Meanwhile, former Arsenal youngster Nacer Barazite is perhaps the teams most creative talent in midfield, alongside Eren Tozlu.
Istanbul Basaksehir Team News & Form
Istanbul Basaksehir manager Abdullah Avcı has led his side to second place in the standings, with their recent victory over Akhisar meaning that they are now just three points behind leaders Galatasaray. Former Premier League players such as Gael Clichy, Emmanuel Adebayor, Eljero Elia, Manuel Da Costa and Gokhan Inler help to make up a hugely experience playing squad for the visitors, with Adebayor having scored three goals in the Super Lig so far. Meanwhile, despite having only conceded 13 goals this season, Turkish international goalkeeper Volkan Babacan could be in for a busy afternoon on Sunday.
Head to Head
The two teams have met on just two occasions in the past, with Istanbul Basaksehir having come out on top both times. Such victories came back in the 2006/07 Super Lig campaign, when the Istanbul-based side followed up a 2-1 away victory with a 2-0 home success.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Despite just six points separating the two teams in the Super Lig standings at present, it comes as little surprise that it is Istanbul Basaksehir who are the favourites for victory with the majority of bookmakers. They can be backed at best odds of 1/3 with 10Bet, while the same bookmakers offer the home side odds of 4/1 to claim all three points. However, with both teams having been involved in high-scoring matches over recent weeks, it is worth checking out the goals markets available surrounding this match, especially betting on there being over 2.5 goals during the 90 minutes.
Top Betting Tip
However, our top betting tip for the match is to bet on the visitors to win and both teams to score, which can be found at best odds of 9/2 with Ladbrokes.