Alanyaspor vs. Beşiktaş – News and Probable Lineups

On Sunday, Alanyaspor will face off against Besiktas at Alanya Oba Stadium for the second round of the Turkish Super Lig, with both teams aiming to capitalize on the positive performances in their opening matches.

Joao Pereira’s team began their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Gaziantep, while their opponents secured a narrow win over Eyupspor before boosting their morale with a convincing European victory midweek.

Match overview

Alanyaspor started their league season with a 1-1 draw at Gaziantep, where they took the lead with a goal from Ruan in the 20th minute, only for Deian Sorescu to equalize shortly thereafter.

The draw was not merely about the Alanya team hanging on for a point despite having only 39% possession; Pereira’s players managed 11 shots and achieved an expected goals tally of 1.25, barely trailing Gaziantep’s 1.28. Their capacity to generate chances without dominating possession may be crucial against a Besiktas team likely to have more ball control.

Ruan showed the most promise in terms of attack, netting with his sole attempt on target in the first match, and his speed and direct playing style are anticipated to provide the hosts with a vital counter-attacking option on Sunday.

The draw also mirrored certain trends from last season when Pereira’s squad finished 11th, amassing 37 points across 34 fixtures, securing just seven victories but recording 16 draws. However, their performance at home was significantly better, achieving six wins, five draws, and six losses.

Furthermore, they will be encouraged by their most recent home encounter against the Black Eagles, in which they surprisingly claimed a 2-0 victory last August, achieving this despite having only 37% possession, scoring twice from nine attempts, while the Istanbul club had 15 shots and 2.31 expected goals.

On the other hand, Besiktas kicked off their Super Lig campaign with a 1-0 win against Eyupspor, though Vincenzo Italiano’s squad had to put in considerable effort to secure all three points.

The Black Eagles enjoyed 66% possession and attempted 19 shots, but only managed to get five on target. More importantly, they restricted Eyupspor to just one shot on target, maintaining a defensive record that has been a significant aspect of their season’s start.

Thus far, Besiktas have maintained a clean sheet across six competitive fixtures this season, with their latest shutout occurring during a convincing 3-0 victory over Kauno Zalgiris in the first leg of their Europa League playoff on Thursday.

Hyeon-Gyu Oh opened the scoring in the sixth minute, and Michael Murillo doubled the lead six minutes later—followed by Orkun Kokcu converting a penalty shortly after half-time, putting them in a commanding position for the return leg.

Italiano will hope his side can carry this momentum into league play, especially considering their impressive away record last season, where Besiktas lost only four of their 17 away matches in the Super Lig 2025-26.

However, Alanya has proven to be a challenging venue for the Black Eagles in recent years, as they have not won in their last six visits, with three draws and three losses, the last victory on this ground dating back to 2020.

Team News

Alanyaspor will miss the services of Meschack Elia and Ianis Hagi, as both players are still recovering from injuries. Elia is dealing with an elbow injury sustained during pre-season, while Hagi is managing a tendon issue in his groin.

Pereira, otherwise, has most of the starting players from the Gaziantep match available, and Ruan is expected to keep his spot after scoring on his debut. Hwang Ui-jo and Arda Usluoglu are likely to offer additional attacking support.

Gaius Makouta and Maestro should pair up in midfield, and Ibrahim Kaya alongside Florent Hadergjonaj is expected to continue in their wing-back positions.

Besiktas reports no significant new injury issues, although Italiano stated that Leandro Trossard suffered a heavy knock against Kauno Zalgiris. Medical evaluations confirmed no muscle or structural damage, indicating the Belgian should recover swiftly.

Nonetheless, Italiano might rotate the squad following Thursday’s European efforts, taking advantage of the first leg’s result which allows him flexibility ahead of the return match in Lithuania.

The visitors are anticipated to retain the 4-1-4-1 formation implemented in recent games, with Kokcu playing centrally and Oh leading the line.

Alanyaspor probable starting XI:

Victor; Lima, Aliti, Akdag; Hadergjonaj, Makouta, Master, Kaya; Hwang, Ruan, Usluoglu

Besiktas probable starting XI:

Nobel; Blue, Topcu, Djalo, Yilmaz; Ozcan; Cerny, Cock, Olaitan, Facil; Oh

With Besiktas having the upper hand at the start of the season and a stronger squad depth, they are viewed as more likely to take all three points at Alanya Oba Stadium. Expectations are that the Black Eagles possess the attacking prowess to surpass the hosts, aiming for back-to-back Super Lig victories.