Giresunspor will welcome Sivasspor to the Cotanak Sports Complex looking to distance themselves from the relegation zone.
Dropping out of the Super Lig is beginning to become a real possibility for Giresunspor, who begin the weekend dangerously hovering above the relegation zone.
Match preview
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While their six-point buffer over 17th-placed Altay should offer Giresunspor a modicum of comfort, the threat of relegation will hang over their heads until the end of the season.
A recent pick-up in form prior to the international break helped Giresunspor's cause, with the Cotanaklar having won three of their last four outings.
Defeat to Antalyaspor in the final match before this month's international break ended their good run of form, but Giresunspor will be keen to bounce back when Sivasspor visit this weekend.
Winners in six of their last 10 home matches across all competitions, Giresunspor will be hoping to fall back on their strong home performances.
In sharp contrast to Saturday's opponents, Sivasspor have not enjoyed their time on the road of late, having lost four of their last six away games.
Squeezing past Adana Demirspor in their last away match did help ease their travel woes, but it still suggests that there is work to do for the Sivasspor players.
Free from the fear of relegation, Sivasspor will be keen to target a top-half finish come the end of the season, with the gap between themselves and the top 10 only one point.
Should they pick up three points this weekend, Sivasspor could find themselves inside the top half, with the next target bridging the gap to the European places.
A lengthy but manageable nine points sits between themselves and a continental berth, with stranger things having happened to clubs in the Super Lig.
Yet, if they wish to pick up three points on Saturday, Sivasspor will need to improve on their performance against Giresunspor in the reverse fixture.
Playing out a goalless draw, both sides saw a man sent off, with a similar feisty encounter expected this time around.
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Team News
Giresunspor's bid to avoid the drop may depend on how fit they can keep their squad, with a number of players carrying injuries.
While not as serious as first imagined, Zeki Yavru is not likely to be back yet, with the defender recovering from a finger injury.
Unfortunately for Giresunspor, the same cannot be said for Flavio, who is ruled out for the rest of the season with a ligament injury.
Similarly, an ACL problem has kept Arda Kilic out of the side for some time and will do so for the remainder of the season.
For the visitors, they are not without their own injury problems, and one man that will not make the journey to face Giresunspor is Leke James.
The forward has featured 20 times for Sivasspor this season, while finding the net on two separate occasions.
Also out of the squad for this weekend's clash will be midfielder Pedro Henrique, who is missing until mid-April with a thigh injury.
Giresunspor possible starting lineup:
Kocuk; Behich, Perez, Diarra, Bilazer; Chiquinho, Traore; Suleymanov, Gumuskaya, Serginho; Nayir
Sivasspor possible starting lineup:
Sasal; Erdal, Goutas, Osmanpasa, Oguz; Fajr, Ulvestad; Gradel, Arslan, Yilmaz; Kayode
We say: Giresunspor 2-1 Sivasspor
Giresunspor have not had a season to remember so far, but they will be desperate to retain their position in the Super Lig ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.
Three points would go a long way to strengthening their foothold in the relegation battle, and their strong home form should aid their hopes.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Giresunspor win with a probability of 37.52%. A win for Sivasspor had a probability of 36.97% and a draw had a probability of 25.5%.
The most likely scoreline for a Giresunspor win was 1-0 with a probability of 8.79%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.35%) and 2-0 (6.09%). The likeliest Sivasspor win was 0-1 (8.71%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.06%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 5.7% likelihood.
