Bursaspor vs Fenerbahce Predictions

Bursaspor have a five point cushion above the bottom three and will be hoping to avoid any relegation battle this season. The same cannot be said for their visitors on Monday night, Fenerbahce, who sit second from bottom in the table with just sixteen points from their seventeen matches. What a nightmare season it has been for the Turkish giants, and despite many suggesting they are too good to go down, it’s always a risk while their results and performances on the pitch remain unconvincing.

Before the winter break Bursaspor entertained Yeni Malatyaspor in the Super Lig, where despite taking the lead and seeing their guests reduced to ten-men, the hosts only managed to pick up a point. A goal on the stroke of halftime from Nayir put Bursaspor into the lead, but a minute after the restart Guilherme equalised for the visitors. As the clocked ticked away it looked as if this game would end in a draw, but Guilherme went from hero to villain in the eighty-eighth minute when the Brazilian was sent-off and deep into stoppage time Bursaspor were awarded a penalty, only for Kara to fluff his lines and the scoreline to end 1-1.

Fenerbahce lost 1-0 in the Turkish Cup to Ümraniyespor in midweek, and before the winter break could only manage a goalless draw at Antalyaspor. The visitors were the better team for the majority of the match and if Neustädter hadn’t have been sent-off in the seventy-fifth minute then Fenerbahce might have gone on to win the game. However, despite having 55% of the possession, nine corners to their hosts two, and seventeen shots to Antalyaspor’s four, the game remained goalless and Fenerbahce remained in the relegation zone.

When these two clubs locked horns for their reverse league fixture back in August, Fenerbahce picked up a rare win, despite going behind. A sixteenth minute strike from Troost-Ekong handed Bursaspor the lead, but it proved to be a false dawn for the visitors as Giuliano equalised from the penalty spot and Souza added a second goal for the hosts to make it 2-1 at the break. No further goals were scored in a rather boring second half, so Fenerbahce held on to secure all three points.

With two wins, two draws, and two defeats from their last six competitive matches, Bursaspor head into Monday;s game as the form favourites ahead of Fenerbahce. Neither side has a natural goalscorer in their side, well not one that has performed well this season at least, but with three goals each Latovlevici, Kara, and Nayir joint top score for Bursaspor, while Ghana’s Ayew leads the way for the visitors with four Super Lig goals.

We’re confident that both teams will score on Monday night, and have backed the game to end in a 1-1 draw. Both teams have scored in four of the last seven meetings between these two clubs, while both teams have also scored in three of Bursaspor’s last six and two of Fenerbahce’s last four matches. The last two Super Liga results for both of these teams have been draws and we’re expecting another stalemate on Monday night.