Besiktas vs Antalyaspor preview, team news and h2h as Black Eagles battle without Wilfred Ndidi

Wilfred Ndidi’s Besiktas are looking to seal UEFA Conference League football in the Turkish Super Lig with six domestic fixtures left to play, Afrik Foot reports.

The Black Eagles will play against Antalyaspor later this evening at the
Tüpraş Stadyumu, with kick-off slated for 6:00 PM Nigerian time.

However, they’ll be without their midfield Anchor Wilfred Ndidi, who will miss the rest of the season after suffering a hamstring injury.

Match Preview: Beşiktaş vs. Antalyaspor

Beşiktaş enter this fixture off the back of a damaging week. The 29-year-old Ndidi was forced off in the 85th minute of the derby clash against Fenerbahçe, which ended in a 1-0 defeat following a controversial stoppage-time penalty converted by Kerem Aktürkoğlu.

Booked in the 52nd minute, his fourth caution of the campaign, the ex-Leicester City midfielder was already ruled out of this fixture automatically, regardless of his fitness.

Beşiktaş are 11 points behind Trabzonspor and Fenerbahçe with six games remaining, while sitting six points ahead of Göztepe below them.

The Black Eagles cannot afford dropped points if they are to secure a continental finish, and the absence of their midfield anchor makes this a more complicated afternoon than the standings might suggest.

Antalyaspor arrive with their own pressures. The visitors currently sit 13th in the table with 28 points, the product of seven wins, seven draws and 14 defeats.

They are five points clear of the relegation zone, but their upcoming fixture list looks challenging. A point today would do much to settle nerves at the Antalya Stadyumu.

Head to Head: Beşiktaş vs. Antalyaspor

Beşiktaş hold a 46-9 advantage against Antalyaspor across 69 matches, with 14 games ending without a winner. In the last 25 meetings specifically, Beşiktaş have won 14, Antalyaspor four, with seven draws.

The most recent encounter underlined that dominance. In their last meeting, Beşiktaş claimed a 3-1 away win at the Antalya Stadyumu. However, Antalyaspor have found the net in their last eight head-to-head meetings against Beşiktas.

Beşiktaş have lost only one home match in 2026, while Antalyaspor have not won an away league match in the Super Lig for five months. The home side are heavy favourites, but the visitors have historically contributed to goal-scoring encounters between these clubs.

Team News

Beşiktaş

Wilfred Ndidi will miss the match after MRI scans conducted at Acıbadem Altunizade Hospital revealed a strain and internal bleeding in the biceps femoris muscle, with treatment already commenced under the supervision of the club’s medical staff. The injury compounds what was already a mandatory one-match suspension.

Salih Uçan is the most likely candidate to fill the void left by Ndidi, stepping into the defensive midfield role that has been central to Beşiktaş’s structure this season. Václav Cerny and Orkun Kökcü provide creativity from wide areas, while Hyeon-gyu Oh leads the line.

Predicted Beşiktaş XI (4-1-4-1): Destanoğlu; Murillo, Agbadou, Uduokhai, Yılmaz; Uçan; Cerny, Asllani, Kökçü, Olaitan; Oh.

Antalyaspor

Sami Uğurlu’s side have no major new injury concerns heading into the trip to Istanbul.

A convincing 3-0 win over Eyüpspor in their most recent home fixture showed their attacking potential, with Sander van de Streek, Nikola Storm and Samuel Ballet all on target.

The Dutchman van de Streek leads their scoring charts with five league goals this season, while Ramzi Safuri has contributed five assists.

In their last ten away league matches, Antalyaspor have managed just one win, four draws and five defeats, accumulating seven points from a possible 30.

Predicted Antalyaspor XI (4-1-4-1): Yiğiter; Yeşilyurt, Sarı, Giannetti, Paal; Dikmen; Ömür, Safuri, Sarić, Ballet; van de Streek.

The Managers

Sergen Yalçın faces the first significant personnel test of his Beşiktaş tenure in this fixture. The experienced Turkish coach has overseen a side capable of beating anyone in the division on their day, two consecutive wins over Gençlerbirliği and Kasımpaşa before the derby setback demonstrated their quality. Still, the loss of Ndidi exposes a structural weakness that opposing managers will look to exploit. With European qualification still within reach, how Yalçın manages the void in defensive midfield over the coming weeks will be one of the defining questions of the run-in.

Sami Uğurlu has done a credible job keeping Antalyaspor competitive in what has been a turbulent campaign. The 2-2 draw with Fenerbahçe highlighted their ability to compete against strong opposition, while the 3-0 demolition of Eyüpspor provided a timely confidence boost.

His team arrive in Istanbul with nothing to lose, and that freedom can occasionally produce unexpected results.

Tactical Preview

Yalçın will deploy his familiar 4-1-4-1 structure, but the identity of the holding midfielder is the key tactical question. Uçan is the likely replacement for Ndidi, but he offers a different profile, more technically inclined, less dominant in the physical duels that Ndidi has consistently won throughout the season.

Beşiktaş have struggled to replicate Ndidi’s defensive discipline with other midfield options, which underlines just how central he has become to their setup since arriving in the summer.

Antalyaspor will look to exploit that vulnerability. Their fast transitions in attack could be one of the most dangerous weapons available to Uğurlu if his side wins the ball high up the pitch.

Van de Streek and Abdülkadir Ömür are both capable of turning quickly and driving at a back four that can be stretched when the midfield cover is reduced.