Amed SK vs Besiktas: Newcomers Ready for Their Biggest Night
Diyarbakir has waited a long time for evenings like this. Amed SK, in their first Super Lig season, sit third in the table and welcome Besiktas to a sold-out Diyarbakir Stadyumu on Sunday, carrying the form – and the swagger – of a side that has no interest in simply surviving.
Ten points from five games. Three home league matches, three wins, 10 goals scored. For a newly promoted club, this is not a cautious introduction to the elite. It is a statement.
Across from them stand the Black Eagles, second in the table with 12 points from a possible 15 and fresh from a ruthless European display. This is not just a league fixture. It feels like a measuring stick for both.
Amed’s fearless rise
Amed have not just adapted to the Super Lig; they have attacked it.
Their 5-0 demolition of Istanbul Basaksehir was the loudest signal yet. 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 tore through Basaksehir with a 23‑minute hat-trick, the kind of burst that changes how an entire league looks at you.
Mbaye Diagne came off the bench to add a fifth late on, rounding off a performance that pushed Amed to three wins from three at home and took their home scoring tally to double figures already.
Besnik Hasi’s side have lost only once this season and are unbeaten in three, with two wins wrapped around a draw. Third place, two points off Besiktas, is no accident. Win on Sunday and they jump above their illustrious visitors into second.
There is a sting in the history, though. The only previous meeting between these clubs came in the Turkish Cup on this same ground – a 4-0 win for Besiktas. Amed now have the chance to show how far they have come since that night.
Besiktas bring the weight of momentum
Besiktas arrive in Diyarbakir in full flow.
Vincenzo Italiano’s team have strung together four straight wins in all competitions, and they have not been shy in front of goal. A 3-0 victory over Erzurumspor in their last league outing followed a 2-1 derby success away at Fenerbahce and a 6-2 thrashing of Corum.
They carried that form into Europe on Thursday. Against Marseille in the Europa League, Besiktas ran riot in the second half, scoring three times after the break to turn a 1-1 interval scoreline into a commanding 4-1 win.
There is, however, a different story on the road. Both of Besiktas’s defeats this season have come away from home, and both by the same 1-0 scoreline – first at Alanyaspor in the league, then against Kauno Zalgiris in Europe. They have only once won by more than a single goal margin away from home this season.
The derby win at Fenerbahce hinted at a shift in that narrative, a result that should embolden them in hostile environments. Diyarbakir will test that theory.
This will be the first time Amed and Besiktas meet in the Super Lig. A new fixture, but already charged.
Team news and likely XIs
Amed’s team almost picks itself at this point.
Yira Sor is still expected to miss out, while Dilhan Demir continues his recovery from a cruciate ligament injury. Beyond that, Hasi has the core of the side that tore apart Basaksehir available. Orban should again spearhead the attack, with Dia Saba operating just behind him as the creative hub.
Amed SK possible starting lineup:
Lafont; Krasniqi, Dellova, Bates, Meras; Soyalp, Raveloson; Khalil, Saba, Samuel Ballet; Orban
Besiktas report no major fresh absences. Leandro Trossard remains unavailable, and there is concern over Vaclav Cerny after he was forced off against Marseille with an injury.
Italiano is expected to stick largely with the side that overpowered the French club. Orkun Kokcu and Salih Ozcan should again anchor midfield, while Dusan Vlahovic leads the line.
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Nubel; Murillo, Agbadou, Topcu, Yilmaz; Ozcan; Poku, Kokcu, Olaitan, Fakili; Vlahovic
Prediction: Amed SK 2-2 Besiktas
Everything about Amed’s home form demands respect. Orban has already hit six league goals, with five of them coming in his last two matches. In Diyarbakir, with that crowd behind him, he looks a threat every time he moves.
Besiktas, though, travel with serious momentum and a squad built for this level and beyond. Their experience, depth and recent scoring spree cannot be ignored, but the short turnaround from Thursday’s European exertions and Amed’s ferocious home record tilt this towards a wild, open contest.
A score draw feels the likeliest outcome – and if Amed go toe to toe with Besiktas again, how long before this newly promoted side stop being treated as a surprise and start being talked about as contenders?
