Eldor Shomurodov will lead Istanbul Başakşehir into a direct top-half fight with Samsunspor on Saturday, 9 May 2026, when the sides meet at Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadyumu.
The fixture is a sixth-versus-seventh clash with just three points separating the teams: Başakşehir start on 51 points and Samsunspor on 48, and both see the game as a live chance to close toward fifth-placed Goztepe in the race for a fifth-placed finish in the Turkish Super Lig.
Samsunspor arrive riding real momentum — four successive league victories, including a 4-1 win over Galatasaray last weekend and a scalp of Besiktas during the run. The visitors have scored 11 goals across their last four league matches and are hunting a fifth successive Turkish Super Lig victory on Saturday.
Başakşehir counter with plenty of attacking evidence of their own. They have scored 53 league goals this season, the majority at home, and produced eight goals across their three outings before last weekend’s 3-1 defeat at Fenerbahce. That loss ended a five-match unbeaten run; since the start of 2026 Başakşehir have lost only three league matches, all to teams currently in the top four.
The two clubs met in December 2025 with Başakşehir winning 2-0 at Samsun, a result that gives the hosts a psychological edge and a reminder of how they exploit home form. Başakşehir also lead the league with 13 headed goals and register 24.83% cross accuracy from open play — underlying numbers that suit a team comfortable finishing chances in the air and from service into the box.
Lineup news favours a strong Başakşehir side. Muhammed will start in goal with a back four of Omer Ali, Duarte, Opoku and Kazimjan. Crespo, Kemen, Yusuf and Harit are expected to marshal the midfield, while Eldor Shomurodov and Bertug Yildirim will spearhead the attack; Abbosbek Fayzullayev is named on the bench. Shomurodov arrives as the league’s second top scorer on 20 goals, Bertug has two goals in his last four matches and Yusuf Sari has provided three assists in his last four outings.
Samsunspor will be weakened by absences. Two players, Yalcin Kayan and Tanguy Coulibaly, are suspended, while J Assoumou and Bedirhan Çetin are sidelined with injuries. Those missing pieces complicate a side that has otherwise found a rich vein of form and goals in recent weeks.
The matchup sets up a clear tension: Başakşehir’s home scoring pedigree and Shomurodov’s prolific season versus Samsunspor’s sudden surge and belief from beating the league’s biggest names. Statistically, Başakşehir’s scoring depth — with contributors such as Marius Mouandilmadji (nine league goals), Carlo Holse (eight) and Cherif Ndiaye (seven) — underlines the variety of threats the hosts can deploy.
Saturday’s result carries immediate stakes. A win for Samsunspor would draw them level on points with Başakşehir and bring them closer to Goztepe; a Başakşehir victory would move them a point clear in the chase for fifth. Given the home side’s scoring numbers, the December win at Samsun and Shomurodov’s 20-goal tally, Başakşehir begin the game as the clearer favorite at Fatih Terim, while Samsunspor’s suspended and injured players make a fifth straight win a more difficult task despite their recent tear.
