Round 34 of the 2023-24 Turkish Super Lig concludes on Monday evening as Fatih Karagumruk host Antalyaspor at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.
The home side are in the relegation zone and battling for survival, while the visitors are around mid-table and on course to finish in a better position than last season.
Match preview
Fatih Karagumruk were in action last Wednesday, losing 3-2 to Trabzonspor in the first leg of the Turkish Cup semi-final.
Back in the league, the Kara Kirmizis ended their seven-match winless run with a 2-1 victory over relegated Istanbulspor, in a match that came alive with five minutes left in normal time after looking like it would be a goalless draw.
Karagumruk went behind when Racine Coly found the net in the 85th minute but quickly restored parity a minute later through Guven Yalcin. Seven minutes into stoppage time, Sofiane Feghouli stepped up to convert a penalty and earn Tolunay Kafkas's side maximum points.
Despite the win, they remain in the relegation zone (17th) with 33 points from 33 games, one point behind 16th-placed Gaziantep.
The Istanbul side are back at home on Monday against Antalyaspor, looking to avoid back-to-back defeats on home soil after losing to Fenerbahce in their last outing at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.
However, they have historically struggled in this fixture, last picking up a competitive victory in 1983, failing to win in 12 league matches since then across the top flight and the second division.
Antalyaspor returned to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Hatayspor at Corendon Airlines Park last Sunday.
The Scorpions had to come from a goal down after conceding in the 26th minute, with Adam Buksa levelling the game in the 67th minute before Zymer Bytyqi scored two minutes into stoppage time to secure maximum points.
Consequently, the Scorpions remain in ninth place in the Turkish Super Lig table and are on course for a top-half finish with five games left to play.
They travel to Istanbul next to face Karagumruk, having lost four of their last five away matches including the last one against Rizespor. Defeat here will see them lose consecutive away matches for just the second time this season, after losing three straight matches on the road between mid-February and early March.
Team News
The hosts will remain without Ryan Mendes who is still suspended after he was sent off in the defeat to Fenerbahce.
Emre Mor is also out as he serves a match ban for an accumulation of yellow cards, which will see Yalcin play from the start.
Bunyamin Balci has missed each of Antalyaspor's last three league matches through injury and remains a huge doubt for Monday's contest.
Veysel Sari and Erdogan Yesilyurt are also out of this affair through suspension for receiving an excessive number of yellow cards.
Fatih Karagumruk possible starting lineup:
Sirigu; Sangare, Biraschi, Guenter, Mercan; Rohden, Kourbelis, Bertolacci; Keles, Marcao, Yalcin
Antalyaspor possible starting lineup:
Leite; Vural, Ozturk, Toprak, Gomes; Kaluzinski; Saric, Safuri, Larsson, Van de Streek; Buksa
We say: Fatih Karagumruk 1-1 Antalyaspor
The home side historically struggles against Antalyaspor, but their recent win could boost morale. The visitors have found it difficult on the road and have lost four of the last five. We expect a close match, with a draw being the likely outcome here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
