Galatasaray and Istanbulspor return to play in the Turkish Super Lig on Christmas Day, when they face off at the NEF Stadyumu. Still stinging from their Turkish Cup loss on Tuesday, the visitors will head into the weekend looking for a pick-me-up as they attempt to climb from the bottom of the standings.
Prior to that, Okan Buruk’s men defeated Toulouse 2-1 on December 16 to snap a four-match losing streak in friendly fixtures. Galatasaray will now focus on the Super Lig, where they are on a three-game winning run and sit second in the table with 27 points from 13 games.
Prediction
Galatasaray won the cup on their return to competitive play and will be aiming to keep the juggernaut going. Buruk’s club will face a failing Istanbulspor team that has struggled to make an impact in the main divisions, and we expect them to easily defeat the visitors.
Galatasaray 3-1 Istanbulspor Prediction
We believe Istanbulspor will need to put up a strong performance to score against Kasimpasa, who we believe will score at least one goal.
With these in mind, we believe it will be a highly tough game, with Kasimpasa prevailing by a 0-1 score at the end.
Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- Galatasaray have been completely dominating throughout the history of this game, winning 10 of the past 15 encounters.
- In that period, Istanbulspor has only accomplished one triumph, while the spoils have been split four times.
- Galatasaray are unbeaten in their past six meetings with the winners, with four victories and two draws since a 3-1 loss in December 2003.
- Istanbulspor are on a six-game Super Lig losing skid, dating back to a 2-1 victory against Fatih Karagumruk on October 3.
- Galatasaray, on the other hand, has won their past three league games and is unbeaten in four consecutive home matches, collecting 10 points out of a possible 12.
Lineup
Galatasaray:
- Muslera;
- Boey, Nelsson, Bardakci, Van Aanholt
- Torreira, Midtsjo, Rashica, Mertens, Akturkoglu;
- Seferovic
Istanbulspor:
- Jensen;
- Berber, Yesil, Mehremic, Yasar;
- Sarikaya, Kabasakal, Rroca, Topalli, Ethemi;
- I Yilmaz
Betting tips
In terms of bookmakers’ odds in the WDW market, a win for Istanbulspor is offered for 3, a game ending all-square is 3.6, while a win for Kasimpasa is available for 2.38. They are currently the finest of the returns available.
- For this match, our expert partners predict a score of less than 3.5 goals.
- Galatasaray won.
- Galatasaray were the first to score.
- Yes, more than 2.5 goals
Where to watch
beIN SPORTS broadcasts the Turkish Super Lig. beIN SPORTS and beIN SPORTS are both available. We broadcast Turkish League games live and on demand, so you can watch them whenever and wherever you choose.