Beşiktaş vs. Konyaspor – News and Probable Lineups

Besiktas is set to host Konyaspor at Tupras Stadium on Tuesday for the Turkish Cup semi-final, as both teams aspire to secure a spot in the final and a chance at silverware this season.

The home team aims to reach the final for the second time in three years, while the visitors arrive full of confidence, seeking to make their first appearance in the final since their victory in the 2016-17 season.

Match overview

Besiktas approaches this match with determination to return to the final after claiming the trophy in the 2023-24 season, viewing the Turkish Cup as their best route to winning silverware this year.

The Black Eagles entered the competition at the group phase as one of the seeded teams, finishing at the top of Group C ahead of Fenerbahce, which earned them a quarter-final matchup against Alanyaspor— a match they cleared with ease, winning 3-0.

Sergen Yalcin’s squad heads into Tuesday’s match in consistent form, having followed their cup triumph with a draw against Fatih Karagumruk and a 2-0 league win over Gaziantep, results that helped secure their European qualification.

With that goal achieved, they are now fully focused on the cup, aiming to leverage the support of their fans to dominate a team they have successfully beaten in their last two encounters.

Historically, Besiktas has had the upper hand in this match-up, suffering only one loss in their last 10 meetings with Konyaspor, including a 2-0 victory the last time they faced each other in this tournament at the quarter-final stage in 2024.

However, Konyaspor will take encouragement from their history in the competition— particularly a 1-0 victory over Besiktas during their path to their sole Turkish Cup win nearly ten years ago.

In contrast to their more illustrious counterparts, Ilhan Palut’s team started their cup campaign in the third round, defeating Bingolspor 4-2 before comfortably dispatching Mus Spor Kulubu 4-1 in the fourth round to reach the group stage.

They ultimately finished second in Group B, which set up a quarter-final fixture against Fenerbahce, where they delivered a disciplined performance to clinch a 1-0 win after extra time, earning their spot in this semi-final.

Konyaspor’s nine-match unbeaten streak across all competitions ended with a 3-2 league defeat to Caykur Rizespor on Friday, but with their league position secured in mid-table, they can fully devote themselves to this cup run.

Having already demonstrated their capability to challenge stronger teams, the visitors will be optimistic that another significant result is achievable as they pursue a return to the final.

Team News

Besiktas is expected to be without a number of players due to injury issues, with Kartal Yilmaz sidelined due to a torn ankle ligament, while Milot Rashica is still a doubt after missing the previous match.

Gokhan Sazdagi is also likely to remain out, and Necip Uysal is uncertain, having not played since September.

Several key players who began on the bench in the last league match are anticipated to return to the starting XI, and Tiago Djalo is back in contention after serving a club-imposed suspension.

Konyaspor, on the other hand, will have to cope without Josip Calusic, Guilherme Sitya, and Alassane Ndao, all serving suspensions for non-footballing reasons.

In terms of injuries, Ufuk Akyol and Blaz Kramer are out with knee injuries, Tunahan Tasci remains unavailable, and Riechedly Bazoer is a doubt following an injury in the last match.

Besiktas probable starting XI:

Destanoglu; Cloud, Agbadou, Topcu, Ozcan; I am; Rashica, Olaitan, Kokcu, Toure; Oh

Konyaspor probable starting XI:

Ertas; Yazgili, Nagalo, Demirbag, Andzouana; Ibrahimoglu, Jevtovic; Turuc, Bardhi, Olaigbe; Muleka

Besiktas’ home advantage and superior individual talent may provide them with the upper hand in what is anticipated to be a closely fought semi-final.

Konyaspor possesses the organization and discipline to make things challenging, but if the home side can assert themselves from the start and avoid defensive errors, they should have enough to progress and secure a spot in the final.