Başakşehir hosts Galatasaray — Shomurodov's phenomenal streak

A fierce Istanbul derby awaits football fans in the 4th round of the Turkish Super Lig. On September 4 at 22:00 Tashkent time, Başakşehir will host the reigning national champion, Galatasaray, at their home stadium. For Uzbek football enthusiasts, this match is doubly significant: the club where our national team leaders Eldor Shomurodov and Abbosbek Fayzullayev play will face the league giant, featuring young Russian star Aleksey Batrakov.

Shomurodov's unstoppable streak: A race with Osimhen, Salah, and Vlahović

31-year-old Eldor Shomurodov, the top scorer of the Super Lig last season, has started the new season in surprisingly high form:

• One goal in every game: Shomurodov has scored in each of the three opening matches, demonstrating 100% efficiency;

• Tight race for the 'Golden Boot': Currently, Galatasaray star Victor Osimhen leads the league's top scorer race with 5 goals. Eldor Shomurodov, Trabzonspor star Mohamed Salah, and Beşiktaş forward Dušan Vlahović follow with 3 goals each;

• Experience finding the net against Galatasaray: The Uzbek striker scored against the 'Yellow-Reds' in a match at the Başakşehir stadium last season, and fans are expecting another goal from him this time.

Team moods: Nuri Şahin's experiments and Okan Buruk's attacking power

The hosts have had a slightly uneven start to the season under new head coach Nuri Şahin:

• Ups and downs at Başakşehir: After a victory over Kocaelispor (2:0), the team lost to Trabzonspor (1:2) and drew with Kasımpaşa (1:1). Also, after the Conference League qualifying matches against Finland's Inter club (1:1, 0:2), the club has focused all its attention on the domestic championship and is looking to make amends in front of their fans;

• Stability at Galatasaray and Batrakov's debut: Okan Buruk's side, which will participate directly in the Champions League league phase, recorded a draw with Çorum (2:2) and big wins over Göztepe (3:2) and Erzurumspor (4:0) in the championship. Aleksey Batrakov, well-known to Eldor and Abbosbek from the Russian league, also made a successful debut coming off the bench against Göztepe.

What do the numbers say? Head-to-head statistics

The history of clashes between the two clubs shows a serious advantage in favor of the visitors:

• Overall balance: The teams have met 40 times, with Galatasaray winning 22 matches, Başakşehir winning 9, and 9 games ending in a draw;

• Unpleasant 10-game streak: In the last 10 Super Lig matches, Başakşehir has failed to defeat their grand rival (8 losses, 2 draws);

• Mutual efficiency: An average of 2.6 goals have been scored in the last 10 matches (Galatasaray averaged 2.2 goals per game, while Başakşehir recorded only 0.4 goals);

• Situation at the home ground: The champions have won 4 of the last 5 matches at the Başakşehir arena, with 1 game ending in a draw (average of 3.2 goals).

Experts believe that although Okan Buruk's team is the favorite, there are enough gaps in Galatasaray's defense. This gives the in-form Eldor Shomurodov and creative winger Abbosbek Fayzullayev the opportunity to capitalize on opponent errors.

Do you think Eldor Shomurodov will continue his scoring streak and score against Galatasaray again? Can Başakşehir end their 10-game winless streak and stop the reigning champion? Leave your predictions in the comments!