Amed SK vs Besiktas: A Clash of Newcomers and Heavyweights

Diyarbakir has waited a long time for nights like this. On Sunday, the city gets Besiktas under the lights at Diyarbakir Stadyumu, and a newly promoted Amed SK side that simply refuses to behave like a newcomer.

Five games into their first Super Lig campaign, Amed sit third with 10 points, just two behind second-placed Besiktas. All three home league matches? Won. Ten goals scored in this stadium already. This is no cautious survival bid. This is a team swinging hard.

Besiktas arrive with 12 points from five, four wins already on the board. On paper, the Black Eagles are the heavyweight. On current form, they are walking into a live wire.

Amed’s fearless start

Amed have not just settled into the Super Lig. They have stormed into it.

Their latest statement came in a ruthless 5-0 dismantling of Istanbul Basaksehir. Emin Bayram’s own goal nudged them in front just before the break, but the second half turned into the Gift Orban show.

The striker took the game apart in 23 devastating minutes, rattling in a hat-trick that underlined exactly why defenders are already dreading trips to Diyarbakir. Mbaye Diagne added a late fifth, a flourish that pushed Amed to three home wins from three and those 10 home goals that have lit up their debut campaign.

Besnik Hasi’s team have lost only once in the league and are unbeaten in three, with two wins wrapped around a draw. Third place, two points off Besiktas, and the chance to leapfrog them with a victory on Sunday. For a club in their first top-flight season, this is rare air.

There is a scar, though. The only previous meeting between these sides came in the Turkish Cup on this very ground – a 4-0 defeat for Amed. That memory lingers. So does the chance for revenge.

Besiktas flying, but questions on the road

Besiktas come in hot. Vincenzo Italiano’s side have strung together four straight wins in all competitions, scoring for fun and rediscovering the swagger their fans demand.

In the league, they brushed aside Erzurumspor 3-0 in their last outing, backing up a gritty 2-1 derby win at Fenerbahce and a 6-2 demolition of Corum. Confidence has surged beyond domestic borders as well: on Thursday, they tore into Marseille in the Europa League, running out 4-1 winners after a second half in which they scored three times following a 1-1 first half.

The warning sign sits away from home. Both of their defeats this season have come on the road, back-to-back 1-0 losses at Alanyaspor in the league and Kauno Zalgiris in Europe. Even in victory, they have rarely run away from opponents on opposition turf; only once have they won an away game by more than a single goal.

The success at Fenerbahce feels like a potential turning point for their away form. But Diyarbakir, with Amed in this mood, offers a very different kind of test.

There is no Super Lig history between these clubs. This is a brand-new fixture at this level, and it arrives with the table tight and the stakes already high.

Team news and likely lineups

Amed are expected to be without Yira Sor again, while Dilhan Demir continues his recovery from a cruciate ligament injury. Beyond that, Hasi has his core intact and little reason to tinker.

Gift Orban should once more spearhead the attack, with Dia Saba operating just behind him, the creative link in a side that has embraced front-foot football.

Amed SK possible starting XI: Lafont; Krasniqi, Dellova, Bates, Meras; Soyalp, Raveloson; Khalil, Saba, Samuel Ballet; Orban

Besiktas report no major fresh absences. Leandro Trossard remains sidelined, and Vaclav Cerny is a doubt after coming off injured against Marseille.

Italiano is likely to lean heavily on the side that dismantled the French club. Orkun Kokcu and Salih Ozcan should again anchor midfield, with Dusan Vlahovic leading the line.

Besiktas possible starting XI: Nubel; Murillo, Agbadou, Topcu, Yilmaz; Ozcan; Poku, Kokcu, Olaitan, Fakili; Vlahovic

Prediction: Fortress vs momentum

Amed’s home form is impossible to ignore. Three wins from three, 10 goals scored, and a striker in Orban who already has six league goals, five of them in his last two games. This stadium has quickly become a problem for visiting sides.

Besiktas carry their own weight of momentum, along with the experience of playing – and winning – big games at this level. But the short turnaround from Thursday’s European exertions and their inconsistent away record leave room for turbulence.

All signs point to a game that could swing wildly and refuse to settle down.

Prediction: Amed SK 2-2 Besiktas.

If this is what Amed’s first Super Lig season looks like in September, what might Diyarbakir be dreaming of by spring?