Istanbul Derby: Basaksehir faces the star-studded Besiktas away

In one of the central matches of the 9th round of the Turkish Super Lig, two renowned Istanbul teams — Besiktas and Basaksehir — will face each other. The match will take place at the Tupras Stadium and is naturally at the center of attention for Uzbek football fans.

For the visitors, the captain and leading striker of the Uzbekistan national team, Eldor Shomurodov, will start the match in the main lineup. Skilled midfielder Abbos Fayzullayev, however, will begin the game on the bench.

Tournament standings and the intensity of the struggle

For both teams, this match is of critical importance in the pursuit of climbing higher in the standings:

• Besiktas' push upward: Having collected 15 points after the previous rounds and sitting in 6th place, the hosts are aiming only for a victory to move closer to the leaders;

• Basaksehir must improve its situation: For the visitors, currently in 12th place with 11 points, every point is worth its weight in gold, and a win would propel them toward the top ten;

• The Uzbek legionnaire factor: Shomurodov's activity in the starting lineup and his leadership in the attack are expected to be key factors in deciding the outcome of the match.

Official team lineups

The lineups fielded for the match feature a number of well-known stars of European football:

• Besiktas starting lineup: Nübel, Murillo, Agbadu, Topçu, Yılmaz, Ndidi, Černý, Olaytan, Özcan, Trossard, Vlahović;

• Basaksehir starting lineup: Şengezer, Karbownik, Bayram, Ba, Kharebashvili, Kemen, Güneş, Olsen, Sarı, Shomurodov, Bozok;

• Bench strength: Basaksehir has a technically gifted playmaker like Abbos Fayzullayev available to increase the pace of the game in the second half.

Match facts: Besiktas — Basaksehir