Fenerbahçe travel to Gaziantep aiming to bounce back after derby defeat
In matchday 5 of the Trendyol Süper Lig, Fenerbahçe visit Gaziantep FK on Monday evening, September 14, looking to return to winning form after last week's loss in the Beşiktaş derby.
The match and its context
Gaziantep FK host Fenerbahçe at the Gaziantep Stadium on Monday, September 14, with kickoff at 20:00 local time in round 5 of the Trendyol Süper Lig. The match is broadcast live on beIN Sports HD 1, with Tamas Bognar assigned as VAR official and Mehmet Türkmen as the referee, according to Fanatik.
Fenerbahçe come into the game after a 1-2 loss to Beşiktaş in the Kadıköy derby, followed by a missed opportunity to beat AS Roma in the Champions League. As reported by A Spor, head coach İsmail Kartal had announced his resignation after the Roma match but subsequently reversed the decision and remained in charge. Fanatik quotes Kartal explaining an incident in which a water bottle thrown from the stands hit him during the Beşiktaş match, saying he had reacted emotionally afterward but that the matter was resolved following talks with the club's management, with no ongoing problem.
Host Gaziantep FK have collected 7 points from 4 matches this season and beat Göztepe 4-2 away last round — the first win under new coach Orhan Ak following the dismissal of Mirel Radoi (also referred to as Matei Radoi in one source). This will be Ak's first home match in charge of Gaziantep FK.
Lineups and head-to-head record
According to Fanatik, Fenerbahçe's starting eleven features Ederson, Mert, Skriniar, Ake, Archie, İsmail, Kante, Guendouzi, Greenwood, Kerem and Lukaku, while A Spor listed a slightly different probable lineup with Muriç up front. Both sources agree that Spanish forward Marco Asensio, sidelined by injury since the round-2 match against Konyaspor, remains unfit and was left out of the squad, staying behind in Istanbul along with Ognjen Mimovic. Fotomaç reports that there has been fresh news regarding Asensio's return date, though it does not specify the actual date in the available text.
Gaziantep FK are expected to line up with Tobiasz, Perez, Arda, Abena, Kerim, Meleke, Gidado, Maxim, Sorescu, Kozlowski and Halil; the team is missing injured players Nazim Sangare, Fuat Bavuk and Ali Osman Kalın.
Statistics point to a clear Fenerbahçe advantage in the rivalry: the Istanbul club has won all of the last 12 official meetings between the two sides (9 in the league, 3 in the Turkish Cup), and out of 14 league meetings overall, Gaziantep have won only twice, most recently in December 2021 (3-2). Coach Kartal himself has beaten Gaziantep 10 times in 14 matches, including all four of his meetings with them while in charge of Fenerbahçe.
