Alanyaspor and Istanbul Basaksehir return to Super Lig action on Friday for the first time since the fatal earthquake that rocked Turkey in early February, facing off at the Kirbiyik Holding Stadium.
The Antalya Province club were beaten 2-1 by Istanbulspor in their last league encounter, while Basaksehir lost 1-0 at in-form Kayserispor before the forced break.
Match preview
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Since their defeat by Istanbulspor on February 5, Francesco Farioli has departed Alanyaspor seemingly of his own accord.
The Italian is replaced by experienced manager Ersun Yanal, whose task of arresting the club's slide down the table commences immediately against Basaksehir.
Alanyaspor have not picked up points in their last three league fixtures, scoring only one goal in that time, with their most recent success coming in a 5-0 thrashing of the 2021-22 champions Trabzonspor.
That victory was the highlight of an encouraging run in all competitions that saw the club claim four wins from six, but since the annihilation of the Trabzon outfit, four of the subsequent games played have ended in defeats, putting them at risk of relegation.
Yanal's men may sit 11th in the standings, but only three points separate them from Kasimpasa, leaving them in danger of further sliding if they lose at Basaksehir.
Friday's visitors had their promising run halted by Kayserispor on February 2, a 1-0 defeat that put paid to the Owls' attempts to claim a third successive victory.
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It was the fourth-placed side's second away loss in three games, a shaky run on their travels that has seen them lose two in 2023 alone, having been beaten just once hitherto.
Indeed, Emre Belozoglu's troops seek to prevent another defeat on the road but must score more on their travels to avoid another potential reverse in Alanya.
The Istanbul outfit have netted 13 times in away games, a number that ranks lower than the best-nine performing sides in the division, with their defensive strength laying the foundation for being the sixth-best club on their travels.
Emre's team are chasing what looks to be a five-way battle for third place, currently occupied by Besiktas, to secure a spot in Europa Conference League qualifying.
They have played a game fewer than the club in third, as well as Adana Demirspor, Trabzonspor and Kayserispor below them, but all the sides in the race for the final European spot can still secure third place with the season just a little past its halfway point.
Basaksehir claimed a 2-0 victory over Alanyaspor when both sides met in September, with the home team's counter-attacking threat vital to their success.
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It remains to be seen if Yanal makes a bucketload of alterations to Farioli's approach in the club's attempt to halt the ongoing losing streak.
Having seen the 61-year-old favour several variations of a back four at his last two jobs at Fenerbahce and Antalyaspor, the new boss could be tempted to deviate from the Italian's 3-4-2-1.
That said, Yanal may prefer a gradual evolution to a drastic modification in formation until he acquaints himself with his new squad.
Emre's Basaksehir approach for every Super Lig fixture in 2022-23 has been a 4-3-3, and the same is likely for Friday's game at the Kirbiyik Holding Stadium.
Serdar Gurler was one of the scorers when both teams met in September, and the wide attacker, who sits joint-second for goals contributed for the Istanbul team this term, is likely to start for the 14th time this season.
Sener Ozbayrakli was nursing an injury before the hiatus, and the right-back is not expected in Emre's lineup.
Back trouble has limited Mesut Ozil to just one league start all season — the Owls' last fixture in the competition — and the former Arsenal man could be involved from the off against Yanal's men, although Danijel Aleksic is the favourite to be selected.
Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:
Runarsson; Bayir, Fer, Balkovec; Ferhat, Lusamba, Doumbia, Ozdemir; Karaca, Cavaleiro; Hassan
Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:
Babacan; Sahiner, Duarte, Touba, Lima; Ozcan, Tekdemir, Aleksic; Turuc, Okaka, Gurler
We say: Alanyaspor 1-1 Istanbul Basaksehir
Basaksehir have not won a game in Alanya since 2016, and that run is expected to continue on Friday, with goalscoring away from home a problem for Emre's team.
Yanal's arrival should provoke an Alanyaspor response good enough to avoid defeat after three losses on the trot.
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