Alanyaspor will continue their pursuit of European football when they host Adana Demirspor on Saturday afternoon.
Starting the weekend only one point behind Istanbul Basaksehir in fourth, Alanyaspor could climb into the European spaces with a win at Bahcesehir Okullari Stadium.
Match preview
It has been an impressive season for Alanyaspor so far, who have only lost five of their 16 Turkish Super Lig matches this term.
Such form has seen Alanyaspor maintain pace with the sides at the top of the division, but a recent slump in results has seen them slide down the table slightly.
After 10 rounds of Turkish Super Lig fixtures, Alanyaspor sat fourth, but just one win in four ahead of last weekend's Yeni Malatyaspor had seen them slump to sixth.
Arresting their poor form with an emphatic 6-2 victory over Yeni Malatyaspor, Bulent Korkmaz will be keen to see his side head into the new year in strong form.
Alanyaspor will be coming up against a side they have registered only one win in their previous eight competitive encounters, with Adana Demirspor hoping to extend their run.
Adana Demirspor are also enjoying an impressive campaign and will hold ambitions of sneaking into European competition themselves.
Level on points with Turkish giants Galatasaray, Adana Demirspor could move up to sixth with a win on Saturday, leapfrogging their opponents in the process.
However, if they are to take three points at the weekend, improving their wretched away form will be manager Vincenzo Montella's main priority.
They boast only two victories on the road this campaign, while only one of those victories have come in their past five away matches.
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Team News
A one-game suspension will see Chidozie Awaziem miss the visit of Adana Demirspor, whereas Tayfur Bingol should be available for Alanyaspor having returned from a three-match ban.
Elsewhere, Cristian Borja has featured 11 times for Alanyaspor this season, but the left-back is unlikely to play due to a muscle injury.
For Adana Demirspor, Younes Belhanda will be missing with a back injury that has plagued his campaign so far.
Adana Demirspor will call upon the services of striking duo Britt Assombalonga and Mario Balotelli, who have both netted five goals each this season.
Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:
Kirintili; Juanfran, Mevlja, Milunovic, Bingol; Novais, Aksoy; Karaca, Akbaba, Davidson; Diedhiou
Adana Demirspor possible starting lineup:
Muric; Svensson, Akaydin, Deli, Rassoul; Kurt, Stambouli; Assombalonga, Akgun, Mimaroglu; Balotelli
We say: Alanyaspor 2-0 Adana Demirspor
Alanyaspor hold a real chance of competing in Europe next season, but it is games against their fellow mid-table sides that will decide their continental fate.
Expect home advantage to benefit Alanyaspor this weekend, against a side that has struggled on the road this season.
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 Alanyaspor win with a probability of 56.14%. A win for Adana Demirspor had a probability of 22.43% and a draw had a probability of 21.4%.
The most likely scoreline for an Alanyaspor win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.77%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (8.1%) and 1-0 (8.03%). The likeliest Adana Demirspor win was 1-2 (5.84%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (9.69%). The actual scoreline of 1-3 was predicted with a 2.3% likelihood.
