Action continues in the Turkish Super Lig as Ankaragucu and Kasimpasa go head to head at the Eryaman Stadium on Saturday.
The hosts will look to halt their slump, which has seen them fall to just three points above the relegation zone, while the visitors aim to climb closer to the European spots
Match preview
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Ankaragucu salvaged a 1-1 draw against Alanyaspor away from home last time out, which saw their winless run in the Super Lig extend to six matches.
Jure Balkovec struck for Alanya three minutes into the second half, but Uros Radakovic levelled the score for the Ankara-based side 20 minutes later.
The game saw two red cards, with Ankaragucu's Efkan Bekiroglu being sent off before half time and Alanyaspor midfielder Leroy Fer receiving his marching orders just before the hour mark.
Since the start of December, Emre Belozoglu's side have recorded just one win in all competitions - a 3-1 victory against Iskenderun in the Turkish Cup - and one loss - a 1-0 defeat to Trabzonspor in the Super Lig - while drawing the rest.
As a result, they are 13th in the Super Lig standings with 21 points, just three points above the relegation zone.
Their next challenge is a home game against a team they have not been able to overcome since 2021, suffering two losses and two draws against Kasimpasa since then.
Playing in front of their fans has not proved helpful in recent times, as the hosts have not emerged victorious in a Super Lig home fixture since October, a five-match winless streak they will attempt to end on Saturday.
After a strong first half of the season, Kasimpasa looked like a side ready to seal European qualification at the end of this campaign.
However, the Apaches have struggled to find consistency in recent matches, following an impressive 3-1 away win over Besiktas with an embarrassing 3-0 home defeat to Istanbul Basaksehir last time out.
Sami Ugurlu's men have now picked up just one win in their last five Super Lig matches, along with two defeats and two draws, which has seen them drop to ninth in the standings, six points adrift of fourth-placed Besiktas.
While Kasimpasa have been impressive at the attacking end of the pitch, where they have scored 15 goals since the start of December, they have also been leaky at the back, conceding 13 goals within that period.
However, the Apaches' last two away matches saw defensive steel with only one goal conceded and four points won, a run they will hope to continue on Saturday.
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Team News
The hosts will be without 33-year-old defender Alper Uludag, who is out of contention for the fourth Ankaragucu game in a row as he continues to nurse a knee problem.
Bekiroglu is also unavailable for selection as he serves a one-match ban for the straight red card he picked up against Alanyaspor, leading to Andrej Djokanovic getting a chance in midfield.
Gambian forward Ali Sowe and Cape Verdean winger Garry Rodrigues are currently on international duty at the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations and will not play any part for the visitors here.
Meanwhile, Kasimpasa will be without several key players down the spine of the team as the likes of defender Sadik Ciftpinar, midfielder Erdem Cetinkaya and forward Julien Ngoy have all been sidelined through injuries.
Moroccan midfielder Dries Saddiki has missed the last four matches through a muscle problem, while 27-year-old Samuel Bastien continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines after coming off injured in October.
Experienced Kenneth Omeruo has joined up with the Nigeria national team ahead of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, meaning that Utku Aydin and Yasin Ozcan should form the centre-back pairing once again.
Ankaragucu possible starting lineup:
Gungordu; Hanousek, Mujakic, Radakovic, Cankaya; Guneren, Pedrinho; Morutan, Djokanovic, Cephas; Macheda
Kasimpasa possible starting lineup:
Gianniotis; Ouanes, Aydin, Ozcan, Winck; Kara, Gul; Gomis, Fall, Hajradinovic; Da Costa
We say: Ankaragucu 1-1 Kasimpasa
Expect a tight affair, with both sides desperate for points. Ankaragucu have recorded a lot of draws in recent matches while Kasimpasa have also looked solid in their last two away games.
The home side have recorded more draws than any other side in the division this season, and we think this will be another stalemate.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
