Sivasspor welcome Antalyaspor to the New Sivas 4 Eylul Stadium on Saturday, hoping to pick up a vital result in their attempt to beat the drop in the Turkish Super Lig.
The hosts come into the clash desperate to halt their worrying slide down the table, while visitors are aiming to maintain their recent unbeaten streak.
Match preview
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Riza Calimbay's side slumped to a disappointing 3-1 defeat away to Kasimpasa last time out, extending their winless run to three matches.
They have a solitary point from their last three outings, which was a 1-1 draw with Caykur Rizespor, having also lost 3-1 to Fenerbahce, which has left them three points from safety, and crucially, they have played a game more than Alanyaspor, who currently occupy the final safe spot.
With just five matches left to rescue their top-flight status, the upcoming fixtures make for grim reading, with Sivasspor still having to navigate daunting encounters against league leaders Galatasaray and top-four-chasing Samsunspor, placing even more pressure on Saturday's fixture to yield maximum points.
The Braves have struggled to turn their home ground into a fortress, and their recent record against Antalyaspor does not inspire much confidence either, having failed to beat this weekend's opponents in their last three league meetings, losing twice and drawing once.
Defensively, Calimbay's men have been found wanting, conceding seven goals in their last three matches alone, a fragility that has been a season-long issue, with the bottom-two Adana Demirspor and Hatayspor along with Kasimpasa, only letting in more.
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Antalyaspor make the trip to Sivas in slightly better spirits, unbeaten in their last three Super Lig outings, with a pair of wins over Alanyaspor and Samsunspor, preceding a goalless draw with Bodrumspor.
That result leaves the Scorpions six points above the relegation zone with a game in hand over several of their rivals, while they are nine points away from equalling last season's total.
However, their form on the road remains a significant concern, having registered just one win in their last 10 away league matches and are winless in their last four, a sequence comprising two defeats and two draws.
Despite their struggles on the road, Antalyaspor will be confident heading into Saturday's game, having fared well historically at this particular venue, unbeaten in their last six competitive visits to Sivas, winning twice and drawing four.
Team News
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Sivasspor will be boosted by the return of Charis Charisis, Uros Radakovic and Murat Paluli, all of whom have served their respective suspensions and are in line to return to the starting XI.
However, the hosts are dealing with a few injury concerns, as goalkeeper Djordje Nikolic, Alaaddin Okumus and Jan Bieganski are all ruled out through injury.
Fode Koita and Gerry Rodrigues will likely return to the starting lineup as Sivasspor look to inject more attacking quality into the side.
Erdogan Yesilyurt and Emre Uzun will play no further part this season for Antalyaspor, after both sustained cruciate ligament injuries.
Erdal Rakip is suspended for this clash, although his absence is unlikely to alter Emre Belozoglu's plans significantly, with Ramzi Safouri now fully fit and expected to retain his place in the side.
Sivasspor possible starting lineup:
Vural; Ciftci, Camara, Radakovic, Paluli; Moutoussamy, Charisis, Cigerci; Rodrigues, Manaj, Koita
Antalyaspor possible starting lineup:
Piric; Balci, Kelven, Gerxhaliu, Vural; Dikmen, Safouri, Kaluzinski; Samudio, Larsson, Van de Streek
We say: Sivasspor 1-1 Antalyaspor
Both sides enter the clash with contrasting form but glaring weaknesses, with Sivasspor battling inconsistency, while Antalyaspor have struggled on the road, which is why we are predicting a cagey affair, making a low-scoring draw the most probable outcome.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
