Göztepe Hand Antunes Start as Başakşehir Chase Away Upset

Göztepe have confirmed their starting XI for Saturday's Super Lig round 11 meeting with Başakşehir at the ISONEM Park Gürsel Aksel Stadyumu, and the headline selection is Alexis Antunes in the first team. The home side line up in a 3-4-1-2, with Antunes among the names tasked with turning territorial control into chances.

Başakşehir arrive as the outsider. The visitors set up in a 4-2-3-1, a shape that gives them two holders in front of the back four and three attacking midfielders behind a lone striker. The selection points to a containment-first approach: absorb Göztepe's width, keep the central corridor crowded, and look for the counter through the wide forwards.

Göztepe's 3-4-1-2 puts three centre-backs behind a four-man midfield and a single attacking midfielder supporting two strikers. The mechanics are straightforward: the wing-backs provide the width, the two central midfielders shuttle between the lines, and the No.10 — the role Antunes is positioned to fill — links the strikers with the deeper build-up.

That shape asks a lot of the two forwards. They must hold the ball long enough for the wing-backs to advance, and they must attack crosses from wide areas. Against a 4-2-3-1, the central overload is there for Göztepe if the No.10 can find pockets between Başakşehir's double pivot and back four. Antunes is the player the home side have chosen to exploit that space.

Allan Godói is the other name to watch in the Göztepe structure. Whether he sits in the back three or steps into midfield, his distribution from deep will determine how quickly Göztepe can move Başakşehir's block. The home side are ninth in the table and the clear favourite with a 28% winning probability assigned to the visitors two days before kick-off. A win keeps them moving up; a draw or defeat lets Başakşehir close the gap.

Başakşehir's 4-2-3-1 is a different proposition. The two holding midfielders screen the centre-backs, the full-backs push on when the ball turns over, and the three attacking midfielders rotate across the width of the pitch. The lone striker must hold the ball against three centre-backs — a difficult assignment — so the visitors will likely need their wide players to run beyond him rather than wait for him to win flick-ons.

Andreas Skov Olsen is the obvious outlet on the right. His ability to carry the ball from midfield into the final third is Başakşehir's cleanest route to goal. If Göztepe's left wing-back pushes high, Skov Olsen will have space to attack. The away side's 14 points from 10 matches put them 10th, and a result here would be their most useful of the season so far.

Arda Kurtulan and Arda Özcimen are the other confirmed starters whose roles matter. Kurtulan's positioning in the attacking line will determine whether Başakşehir can press Göztepe's back three or whether they sit off and defend the halfway line. Özcimen's job is to link the double pivot with the front four — if he is marked out of the game, Başakşehir's attacks become isolated.

The team sheets confirm the tactical question: can Göztepe's 3-4-1-2 break down a 4-2-3-1 that is designed to defend the centre? The home side have the numerical advantage in central areas when the No.10 drops, but Başakşehir's two holders can shift across to cover. The game will likely be decided by which set of wing-backs handles the transition moments better.

Göztepe's bench and Başakşehir's bench have not been confirmed in the same detail, so the in-game adjustments remain open. What is clear from the starting XIs is that both managers have chosen continuity over surprise: no debutants, no positional experiments. The shapes are the shapes. The players are the players. Kick-off is at 4:00 PM UTC.