With the Süper Lig title slipping through their fingers, Fenerbahçe travel to Istanbul Başakşehir on Friday in a must-win clash that could either extend or extinguish their dwindling championship dreams.
After a season fraught with drama, defensive lapses and internal storms, Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe find themselves chasing shadows.
A deflating 1-0 home defeat to bitter rivals Beşiktaş – settled by Gedson Fernandes’ clinical strike – all but crushed their hopes of catching leaders Galatasaray.
That loss widened the gap to eight points, with only four matches remaining, and left Mourinho facing an unwanted slice of history: the first Fenerbahçe boss since Joachim Low in 1998-99 to lose his first two derbies against Beşiktaş.
Fenerbahçe’s woes against top sides have become a defining pattern of the Portuguese tactician’s tenure.
Across five meetings with Galatasaray and Beşiktaş, Mourinho has failed to taste victory – four losses and a single draw – while also falling short against every club in the top six.
The club’s last league crown came 11 years ago, and what began as a campaign of promise is quickly descending into a familiar story of near-misses and frustrations.
Now, with second place mathematically secure but the summit slipping further from view, motivation will be a precious resource.
Injuries to Rodrigo Becao, Mert Hakan Yandaş and Jayden Oosterwolde, plus the suspension of Çağlar Söyüncü, stretch an already embattled squad.
Sofyan Amrabat has recovered from injury but remains a question mark.
Filip Kostic, fresh off suspension, returns, while Ismail Yüksek and Mert Müldür are expected to plug the defensive holes.
Yet all eyes turn to Başakşehir, who are charging into this clash with momentum and hunger.
The Grey Owls have clawed their way to fifth place with 51 points and are now just four points behind Beşiktaş, the team occupying the final European berth.
They’ve won five of their last six matches, rebounding from a humiliating 4-1 defeat to Göztepe with a convincing 4-2 victory over relegated Hatayspor.
At home, Başakşehir have rediscovered their swagger.
With five wins in their last seven league games at the Fatih Terim Stadium – including back-to-back triumphs over Konyaspor and Gaziantep – they’re poised to make it three in a row, a feat they’ve yet to achieve this season.
This match also presents a chance to even the score with Fenerbahçe, who have won five of the last ten meetings between the sides in Başakşehir’s backyard.
Head coach Çağdaş Atan, who has never beaten Fenerbahçe in eight previous attempts across stints with Kayserispor, Alanyaspor, and now Başakşehir, is eyeing his breakthrough.
Atan has suffered seven losses and a draw against the Yellow Canaries but enters this clash with arguably his best shot at ending that barren run.
Başakşehir will be without Ousseynou Ba due to injury, leaving Jerome Opoku to anchor the defense.
Midfielder Onur Ergün is also sidelined, likely paving the way for Ivan Brnic to start after an impactful cameo against Hatayspor.
Five players – Deniz Türüç, Muhammed Şengezer, Philippe Keny, Hamza Güreler, and Ba – sit on yellow card warnings, meaning another booking would rule them out of next week’s trip to Kasımpaşa.
Meanwhile, Fenerbahçe remain unbeaten in their last eight away matches, including gritty wins over the likes of Adana Demirspor, Sivasspor, and Bodrum FK. But even that resilience might not be enough if their title bid has indeed run out of fuel.