Akhisar Belediye vs Fenerbahce Predictions

Things haven’t gone too well for Akhisar, who’ve so far failed to build on the promise of last season. Being in the Europa League has perhaps hindered their league form, but even though they’re competing on the continent, Sunday’s hosts would still have been hopeful of maintaining a respectable league position. Fortunately, Fenerbahce have struggled this season, so Cihat Arslan’s men ought to feel confident ahead of this one.

Overall, the season hasn’t gone overly well for Sunday’s hosts, but they have started to get things together in recent weeks. Akhisar have lost just one of their last five, while their overall efforts at home haven’t been too bad at all. They’ve lost just twice at home and while they have won just two of their other five, they’ve performed reasonably well, especially from an attacking point of view.

Arslan’s side have failed to score in none of their seven home games during the current campaign, while they’ve looked stronger in the final third than their overall goals suggest. Akhisar have found the net on ten occasions, but they’re averaging a very pleasing 1.81 expected goals for, which tells us that they’re creating plenty of chances. If they continue to post such figures, then the hosts can be expected to increase their scoring rate.

As for the visitors, well Fenerbahce haven’t been too bad on the road this season, but they’ve hardly impressed. Sunday’s visitors are currently being blighted by a lack of forward potency on their travels, as they’ve scored just four goals in seven away matches, while they’ve failed to score in four of those seven. If we look at their expected-goal numbers, then it’s not difficult to say that they’ve been more creative than the bare figures suggest, as they’re averaging 1.37 expected goals for, but even that tells us that they’re not the most menacing side offensively. Fortunately, they’re facing an Akhisar side that is anything but secure at the back.

For all Akhisar have looked useful going forward on their own patch, they’ve struggled to keep things tight at the back. Arslan’s men have kept just two clean sheets at Spor Toto Akhisar Stadium this season, while they’re shipping an average of 1.62, which essentially tells us that based on the quality of chances presented to their opponents, they ought to have conceded around 16 goals in ten home games. Such numbers don’t exactly suggest that they’re capable of keeping things tight.

At the prices, the bet that stands out is ‘Over 2.5 Goals & Both Teams to Score’. The visitors haven’t exactly made light work of scoring goals on the road, but they have been unfortunate to score so few, while their last couple of efforts have been an improvement. What’s more, the hosts have made a habit of both scoring and conceding at home; both teams have scored in five of Akhisar’s seven home games this season, while they’ve also made a habit of both creating plenty and giving plenty away at the other end. With the hosts averaging 1.81 expected goals on their own patch and giving up an average of 1.62 at the other end, a high-scoring game is worth supporting.