Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş confirmed their starting lineups before the derby, turning the season’s first meeting into a match already shaped by selection choices. Fenerbahçe listed Ederson, Semedo, Skriniar, Ake, Brown, Kante, Guenouzi, İrfan Can Kahveci, Greenwood, Oğuz and Vedat Muriqi, while Beşiktaş named Nübel, Murillo, Emirhan, Agbadou, Rıdvan, Salih, Orkun, Olaitan, Trossard, Cerny and Vlahovic.
The reason the matchup drew attention now was simple: this was the first derby of the season, and the lineups gave the clearest sign of how both teams planned to approach it. İsmail Yüksek said he was waiting for the game with great excitement and wanted to leave with 3 points, while Ederson stressed the need for a sharp start and high concentration from the first minute. Vedat Muriqi also pointed to a strong run of form and said the team would try to carry confidence from the Samsunspor win into the derby.
The selection details mattered because they showed the shape of the contest before the first whistle. Fenerbahçe said it would wear the striped home shirt with white shorts and white socks, while Beşiktaş chose a black shirt and black shorts. The two French players and two Turkish players in the key midfield and attacking areas were part of the day’s most talked-about duel, with the teams’ first XIs giving both sides a direct route into the match’s main battle lines.
There was also a small concern behind the clean headline. Miretti felt slight muscle pain in the final training session and was rested, but the problem was not considered serious and he was expected back soon. That left the derby looking more like a test of depth and timing than a match derailed by injuries, especially with both sides having already put their best available lineups on the board.
Beşiktaş supporters reached Chobani Stadyumu under heavy security measures after departing from Tüpraş Stadyumu in a convoy of 30 vehicles under police control. For a derby that had already drawn attention through its lineups and pre-match comments, the movement of the supporters underlined how tightly managed the occasion was. The only question left was how the names on those team sheets would translate once the game itself began.
