Sivasspor will visit Kasimpasa on Saturday, hoping to secure a crucial victory that could lift them out of the Turkish Super Lig relegation zone.
The visitors are currently three points adrift of safety with six matches remaining and are winless in their last two league outings.
Match preview
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Sivasspor suffered a 3-1 defeat to Fenerbahce last time out, as they were comprehensively outclassed in what was arguably one of their toughest fixtures left this season.
The Braves sit on 31 points after 30 games, having played one more than Caykur Rizespor, the first team outside the relegation zone.
Riza Calimbay's side still have daunting clashes against Galatasaray and Samsunspor in their final six matches, which makes their bid for survival increasingly difficult.
Adding to their woes, Sivasspor have collected the joint-second-lowest number of points away from home this season, and four of their remaining six matches are on the road, including Saturday's visit to Kasimpasa.
They have also failed to win any of their last four encounters against the hosts, drawing two and losing two, while failing to score in each of the last three meetings.
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Kasimpasa, meanwhile, were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Kayserispor in their previous outing and will be particularly disappointed with the result, having had a one-man advantage for nearly 30 minutes.
After finishing fifth last season, this campaign has been underwhelming for the Apaches, who are now scrapping to secure a top-half finish.
Burak Yilmaz's men currently sit 11th with 39 points from 30 matches, 11 points off fourth place and six clear of the relegation zone.
Despite their inconsistency, Kasimpasa boast the third-best attacking record in the division with 50 goals scored, but their defensive vulnerability remains a major concern, having conceded 54 goals, the joint-second most in the league alongside second-bottom Hatayspor.
Saturday's fixture presents another challenge for the hosts, who have amassed the third-fewest points at home this season, and they are winless in their last three home meetings against Sivasspor, losing twice and drawing once.
Team News
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Kasimpasa will be missing Gokhan Gul and Claudio Winck, who are both out due to injuries.
Haris Hajradinovic is suspended, but Nicholas Opoku returns to the starting XI after serving a one-match ban.
For Sivasspor, Djordje Nikolic remains the only injury concern, but Charis Charisis is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Uros Radakovic and Murat Paluli are also suspended, which could open the door for Noah Sonko Sundberg and Alaaddin Okumus to step in at the back.
Kasimpasa possible starting lineup:
Gianniotis; Ozcan, Opoku, Piatkowski; Espinoza, Barak, Kara, Ouanes, Rodrigues; Costa, Fall
Sivasspor possible starting lineup:
Vural; Ciftci, Camara, Sundberg, Okumus; Moutoussamy, Poungouras, Cigerci; Rodrigues, Manaj, Koita
We say: Kasimpasa 1-0 Sivasspor
At home, Kasimpasa are unbeaten in their last six matches, winning three of them, and they will fancy their chances against a Sivasspor side that has struggled on the road all season.
With the visitors also set to be without several key players due to suspension, the hosts look well-placed to claim all three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
