The 2026-27 Turkish Süper Lig campaign opens with Samsunspor hosting Göztepe at Samsun 19 Mayıs Stadyumu on Monday 17 August, with both clubs arriving without European football after finishing seventh and sixth respectively in 2025-26.
Thorsten Fink took charge of Samsunspor in February 2026, while Stanimir Stoilov has guided Göztepe since late 2023 and had his contract extended through 2026-27, though the two managers have no documented meetings before this fixture.
Samsunspor ended 2025-26 by beating this same Göztepe side 3-0 in May and go into the opener without major injury concerns. Göztepe's pre season brought in Sinclair Armstrong and Gabriele Guarino, both expected to start but they will be without Nevzat Uzel, Ibrahim Sabra and Furkan Bayır, with Noah Sonko Sundberg doubtful.
Fink is expected to deploy a 4-2-3-1 with Okan Kocuk in goal behind Joe Mendes, Yunus Emre Çift, Ali Diabaté and Logi Tomasson, Celil Yüksel and Antoine Makoumbou shielding the defence and Afonso Sousa and Emre Kılınç supporting lone striker Marius Mouandilmadji. Stoilov looks likely to remain with his 3-4-1-2: Luka Gugeshashvili in goal, a back three of Taha Altıkardeş, Allan Godói and Malcom Bokele, wing backs Arda Kurtulan and Amine Cherni providing width, Alex Matos and Novatus Miroshi anchoring midfield behind Alexis Antunes and André Henrique and Janderson leading the attack.
The central midfield contest between Makoumbou and Miroshi looks like the most interesting battle on the pitch. Kılınç, operating in the left channel of Fink's shape, will likely find Kurtulan pushing higher on the opposite flank, a positional mismatch that could pull him into defensive duties he would rather avoid. Mouandilmadji is Samsunspor's focal point up front, with Göztepe's depleted back line the obvious area to probe.
The clubs have met thirteen times with six wins apiece and one draw, home sides dominating the recent run, with Samsunspor's 3-0 result in May 2026 the most recent meeting between them.
The artificial surface at 19 Mayıs tends to suit sides comfortable on the ball and Göztepe's defensive absences, Uzel and Sonko Sundberg in particular, leave a gap Samsunspor will be looking to exploit.
Home advantage, three absentees in the Göztepe back line and the result from May 2026 all point the same way: Samsunspor to win 1-0, with Mouandilmadji the likeliest source of the decisive moment and Stoilov's shape keeping the margin to a single goal.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
