Fresh off the back of reaching the Turkish Cup final, Trabzonspor play host to Istanbulspor in round 35 of the Super Lig on Sunday. The visitors have been mathematically relegated from the Turkish top flight and will be looking to go down with their heads held high.
Trabzonspor turned in another outstanding team display as they hammered Fatih Karagumruk 4-0 to secure a 7-2 aggregate victory over Tolunay Kafkas’ men in the Turkish Cup semi-finals.
The Black Sea Storm have won all but one of their last five matches across all competitions, with a 3-1 defeat against Samsunspor on May 4 being the exception.
With 58 points from 35 matches, Trabzonspor are third in the Super Lig table, three points above fourth-placed Istanbul Basaksehir.
Elsewhere, Istanbulspor were left empty-handed yet again as they fell to a 1-0 loss against Adana Demirspor last time out.
Osman Zeki Korkmaz’s men have lost three games on the spin and have managed just one win in their last 15 matches across all competitions since late January.
Istanbulspor have picked up just 16 points from 35 matches in what has been a truly forgettable campaign and currently sit rooted to the bottom of the table.
Trabzonspor vs Istanbulspor Head-To-Head
This will be the third-ever meeting between Trabzonspor and Istanbulspor, with the Black Sea Storm winning their previous two encounters.
Trabzonspor Form Guide: W-L-W-W-W
Istanbulspor Form Guide: L-L-L-W-L
Trabzonspor vs Istanbulspor Team News
Trabzonspor
The home side will take to the pitch without Hüseyin Türkmen, who has been sidelined since coming off with a muscle injury in January. Berat Ozdemir is suspended after crossing the yellow card threshold against Samsunspor on May 4.
Injured: Hüseyin Türkmen
Suspended: Berat Ozdemir
Istanbulspor
Eslem Öztürk is currently recuperating from an ankle injury and will play no part in Sunday’s game.
Injured: Eslem Öztürk
Suspended: None
Trabzonspor vs Istanbulspor Predicted XI
Trabzonspor Predicted XI (4-1-4-1): Ugurcan Cakir; Thomas Meunier, Rayyan Baniya, Joaquín Fernández, Evren Eren Elmali; Batista Mendy; Nicolas Pepe, Umut Bozok, Enis Bardhi, Trezeguet; Paul Onuachu
Istanbulspor Predicted XI (5-4-1): Mücahit Serbest; David Sambissa, Mehmet Yesil, Simon Deli, Demeaco Duhaney, Ali Yasar; Mendy Mamadou, Modestas Vorobjovas, Racine Coly, Florian Loshaj; Emir Kaan Gültekin
Trabzonspor vs Istanbulspor Prediction
Trabzonspor will be excited to take on an Istanbulspor side who have been the whipping boys of the league this season. We predict the hosts will pick up where they left off in the cup and claim a comfortable victory this weekend.
Prediction: Trabzonspor 3-0 Istanbulspor