Sports Mole previews Wednesday's Turkish Super Lig clash between Kayserispor and Besiktas, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Kayserispor host Besiktas at Kadir Has Stadium on Wednesday in a rescheduled Turkish Super Lig clash from the opening round.
The fixture was postponed due to the Black Eagles' European commitments at the time, with the Turkish Football Federation granting them additional rest days to prepare.
Match preview
Kayserispor are one of just two top-flight sides yet to record a league win this season, alongside newly-promoted Kocaelispor, raising doubts over Markus Gisdol's ability to replace Sergej Jakirovic, who departed for Hull City.
This is not unfamiliar territory for Gisdol, who previously managed Samsunspor between October 2023 and June 2024, but things have not clicked in Kayseri so far, as the Anatolian Star have only managed four draws and one defeat from five matches under him, struggling to convert chances and leaking goals at key moments.
A stoppage-time equaliser from summer loanee Laszlo Benes salvaged a 1-1 draw with Antalyaspor last time out, but it was another reminder of their fragility.
Prior to that, they surrendered late leads in consecutive games, conceding after the 85th minute, and they have scored just four goals while letting in eight, half of which came in their heavy loss to Galatasaray.
History does little to inspire confidence, as Kayserispor have not beaten Besiktas in the league since 2020, losing nine times and drawing once since then, with their only success in that period coming in a 2-1 cup victory in 2022.
The Black Eagles have dominated recent meetings, keeping three consecutive clean sheets and scoring five goals across two wins and a draw, and when extended to their last five encounters, Besiktas have netted nine times and conceded only once, triumphing in four.
Yet, they head into this clash with some doubts, as their own start has also been far from convincing, losing twice and winning twice in four league games, while they suffered an embarrassing European exit to Lausanne-Sport in the Conference League playoffs, a loss that prompted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's dismissal and the return of Sergen Yalcin to the dugout.
Yalcin's second spell has begun unevenly, with a 2-0 loss to Alanyaspor and a 3-0 defeat to Goztepe sandwiching a 2-1 victory over Istanbul Basaksehir, but more worryingly heading into this clash is that both defeats came on the road.
Besiktas have won just once in five away matches across all competitions this season, conceding five goals in the league without scoring in their two trips - fixing that travel sickness is essential if they are to re-enter the European qualification race later in the campaign.
Kayserispor Turkish Super Lig form:
D
D
D
L
D
Kayserispor form (all competitions):
D
D
D
L
D
W
Besiktas Turkish Super Lig form:
L
W
L
W
Besiktas form (all competitions):
L
W
L
L
D
W
Team News
Kayserispor received a boost as first-choice goalkeeper Bilal Bayazit returned ahead of schedule from a broken hand to feature against Antalyaspor.
However, midfielder Youssef Ait Bennasser (thigh) remains sidelined, and due to registration rules, several recent signings such as Benes, German Onugkha, Furkan Soyalp, Joao Mendes, and Deniz Donmezer, are ineligible, as they arrived after the original matchday.
Besiktas face similar issues, with as many as 12 players unavailable, including eight summer arrivals - Gokhan Sazdagi, Tiago Djalo, Ridvan Yilmaz, Taylan Bulut, Vaclav Cerny, El Bilal Toure, Cengiz Under, and Jota Silva - who cannot be registered for this fixture.
Injuries further complicate matters, with Wilfred Ndidi, Salih Ucan, Mustafa Erhan Hekimoglu, and Milot Rashica all ruled out.
Kayserispor possible starting lineup:
Bayazit; Civelek, Kocaman, Cihan, Carole; Celtik; Mane, Ozbek, Cardoso, Korkmaz; Sariarslan
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Gunok; Svensson, Gabriel, Uduokhai, Jurasek; Uysal, Tiknaz; Silva, Kokcu, Sahin; Abraham
We say: Kayserispor 0-1 Besiktas
Both sides will field heavily depleted line-ups, which could lower the overall quality of the contest, but Besiktas still boast the greater depth even under these circumstances.
For Yalcin, this represents a prime opportunity to banish their away struggles, and with the attacking talent still at his disposal, the Black Eagles should have enough firepower to conjure a decisive moment and narrowly edge the encounter.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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