Kasimpasa take on Istanbul Basaksehir in the Turkish Super Lig on Saturday afternoon, with the home side looking to move themselves clear of the relegation zone.
The hosts will commence proceedings 14th in the league standings, while the visitors are in third, eight points behind league leaders Galatasaray.
Match preview
Kasimpasa are currently just two points clear of the bottom four, having acquired 19 points in 18 league games up to this point, winning just one of their last 10 games in the Turkish top flight.
It is only the Apaches' early season form that has prevented them from falling into real trouble, going on a run of four wins in five games from the end of August until the beginning of October.
Conceding goals at home has become far too regular an occurrence for Selcuk Inan's side, shipping 20 goals in 10 home league games, the most any side in the division has conceded in front of their own fans.
However, home form has picked up in recent matches for Kasimpasa, recently displaying their quality in a resounding 4-1 win against Alanyaspor, a team in the top half of the Turkish Super Lig table.
While they could not record another victory last time out, the Apaches again showed impressive signs against Karagumruk, with Stephane Bahoken netting an equaliser in the 100th minute of the match to snatch a point.
After suffering a 7-0 loss at home to Galatasaray in November, Basaksehir fans may have been fearing the worst, but their side have responded very well since then, and they still remain just eight points off top spot.
The Grey Owls have lost just one of their last seven competitive games, with this coming in a narrow 1-0 away trip to last season's champions Trabzonspor, and so there is definitely cause for optimism.
Despite that one anomalous 7-0 defeat, Emre Belozoglu's side have actually been very solid defensively for the vast majority of the season, boasting the joint third-best defensive record in the league.
At the other end of the pitch, Basaksehir have not been prolific, but they have managed to do just enough to eke out victories, most recently defeating Karagumruk on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the Turkish Cup.
In their last seven matches against Kasimpasa, the Grey Owls have won on five occasions and drawn twice, so they should be full of confidence heading into Saturday's game.
- W
- W
- D
- W
- L
- W
Team News
Turgay Gemicibasi is a long-term absentee for Kasimpasa, having not featured in the squad since October, and while he is making progress in his return from injury, he is unlikely to be involved.
As such, Daniel Graovac is the natural choice at the base of the midfield, in a 4-1-4-1 system, with Mickael Tirpan and Haris Hajradinovic playing slightly further forward.
Bahoken is the Apaches' top scorer this season, netting four goals in the Turkish Super Lig, and he is poised to lead the line again, after scoring in his last match.
Basaksehir have some injury concerns of their own, with Lucas Biglia set to miss out for the seventh game in a row, and so Mahmut Tekdemir and Berkay Ozcan are the likely choices in the middle of the park.
Bertrand Traore has returned to Aston Villa to recover from what is believed to be a serious knee injury, with Valentin Eysseric set to keep his place on the right of midfield.
Kasimpasa possible starting lineup:
Canpolat; Hadergjonaj, Donk, Ozcan, Ben Ouanes; Graovac, Engin, Tirpan, Hajradinovic, Eysseric; Bahoken
Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:
Babacan; Ali Sahiner, Duarte, Touba, Lima; Ndayishimiye, Gurler, Tekdemir, Ozcan, Turuc; Keny
We say: Kasimpasa 0-2 Istanbul Basaksehir
While Kasimpasa have put in some much-improved performances recently, Basaksehir are likely to emerge as comfortable winners, given the disparity between the teams in the league standings.
Belozoglu's side rarely run away with matches, only winning by more than two goals on one occasion in the Turkish Super Lig this season, but they should be able to record a comfortable victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
