Goztepe finished seventh in the league last season, meaning they advanced to the quarter-final stage of the playoffs, but they fell at the first hurdle, losing 3-1 away at Bodrumspor, the side that went on to lose the playoff final.
It was shaping up to be a fantastic season for Goz, who only finished eight points off the automatic promotion places, but they failed to win any of their last four games, drawing all of them.
As such, Ekrem Dag will be hoping his side can go one step further this time around and win promotion back to the Super Lig for the first time since the 2021-22 campaign, in which they only managed to collect 28 points from 38 games before ultimately being relegated.
The Turkish side face a tough test in their first pre-season game, however, against a Southampton team that have only just been relegated from the Premier League.
Indeed, the Saints’ time in the top flight of English football finally came to an end last season, finishing bottom of the table, 11 points from safety, meaning they are set to compete in the Championship for the first time in over 10 years in the 2023-24 campaign.
Ahead of the new season, owners Sport Republic have moved swiftly to appoint Russell Martin as a successor to Ruben Selles, who failed to instigate the turnaround he would have hoped for after being appointed at the end of February.
Martin is set to take over a team that struggled considerably last season, particularly in the final few months, having failed to win any of their last 13 Premier League games, despite some promising signs early on in Selles’s reign.
Southampton have already played one pre-season game, but Martin did not get the result he would have wanted against Benfica, with his side succumbing to a 2-0 defeat, although it was against strong opposition.
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Goztepe have been very active in the transfer market, having signed Mateusz Liz on loan from Southampton, and the goalkeeper could be set to make his first start on Saturday, in front of what could be a new-look back five.
Tarkan Serbest and Taha Altikardes have been brought in to strengthen the centre-back area, while Dag will also have Ali Dere and Ogunq Bayrak to choose from at full-back, having signed the quartet on free transfers.
Loue Bayere Junior could also get some minutes in attack, with the striker recently arriving from Swedish side Hammarby.
As for the Saints, the futures of James Ward-Prowseand Romeo Lavia remain in doubt amid interest from the Premier League, but the midfielders got some game time against Benfica, and they could feature again this weekend.
