Trabzonspor (Trabzon) – Beşiktaş (Istanbul)
Players who may miss the match: Ryan Bania, Boran Baskan (suspension), Salih Malkocoglu (suspension), Anthony Nwakaeme, Paul Onuachu (suspension), Wagner Pina, Stefan Savic, Edin Vishka – Mustafa Hekimoglu, Felix Uduohay, Nelik Uduohay, Jonas Svensson
Trabzonspor – Beşiktaş: betting odds
The central moment of the 16th round of the Turkish Super League will be the confrontation between Trabzonspor and Beşiktaş. The Istanbul club has not performed as well as expected in recent years, but remains a formidable force and one of the most popular teams in Turkey. Trabzonspor lacks the same financial and personnel resources - never mind the constant questionable bank loans - but their scouts are great at finding interesting talents at low prices, or even for free.
It is worth noting that Beşiktaş has proven to be a difficult opponent for Trabzonspor, as the Istanbul team has not lost in the last three head-to-head meetings, and in general they rarely lose to this opponent. It is far from certain that Trabzonspor will be able to break this unbeaten streak against Beşiktaş right now.
Trabzonspor
Last season, Trabzonspor scored 51 points in 36 matches in the Turkish league, finishing in the middle of the table. This year, after only 15 rounds, they already have 34 points! If Fatih Tekke's team keeps up this pace, they could repeat last year's score by the 20th round, and then surpass it. Few could have imagined, even in their wildest dreams, that Trabzonspor would challenge Galatasaray this season. Fighting for first place and the title! And that doesn't sound incredible anymore. A win over Beşiktaş would leave them just two points behind first place!
One of Trabzonspor's main problems this season has been poor results against their top rivals: a defeat against Fenerbahçe (0-1), a draw with Galatasaray (0-0) and another deadlocked draw against Samsunspor (1-1). To truly compete for the championship, they need to start beating their direct rivals.
Beşiktaş
If Beşiktaş didn't seem to be playing well under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last season, fighting for third place, things have only gotten worse now. After 15 rounds, the Istanbul club is in fifth place, already inferior even to third. It can't be said that they are playing terribly, but victories are rare (although defeats are also rare). Beşiktaş alternates between solid and lackluster performances. This is not enough to set ambitious goals. If they manage to make it to some European tournament by the end of the season in this form, it will be a huge achievement. So far, all the personnel changes - both players and coaches - have not yielded the desired results. Now "
" can not even be called the third force of Turkish football, let alone something more.
Trabzonspor - Besiktas: Expected Lineups
Team Lineups
Trabzonspor – Besiktas: Author's Prediction
Besiktas haven't won often this season, but they haven't lost much either. Trabzonspor are generally strong, but they've always had problems against the top teams. And Besiktas are definitely one of them. So I wouldn't be surprised if the Istanbul team avoids an away defeat. I'd back Besiktas for a win or a draw against Trabzonspor (double chance).
