Hatayspor will be bidding to continue their unbeaten start to their 2023-24 Turkish Super Lig campaign when they make the trip to Fatih Karagumruk on Monday night.
The visitors have picked up six points from their opening four matches of the season to sit in sixth position in the table, while Karagumruk boast four points from as many games, which has left them in 13th.
Match preview
Karagumruk have been present in the top flight of Turkish football since 2020, finishing seventh in the Super Lig table last season, picking up 51 points from their 36 matches.
The Black and Reds were incredibly busy during the summer market, with Serdar Dursun and Stefano Sturaro among those to arrive, while there were also a number of departures.
There is a fresh look to the squad for the 2023-24 campaign, and it has been a relatively solid start, picking up four points from their four matches, which has left them in 13th spot in the table.
Alparslan Erdem's side opened their season with a 1-0 home loss to Besiktas, but they picked up four points from their next two games, beating Istanbul Basaksehir 2-0 before drawing 1-1 with Ankaragucu.
The home team will enter this match off the back of a defeat, though, losing by one goal at Rizespor, so Erdem's team will be aiming to return to winning ways on Monday evening.
Hatayspor, meanwhile, have made an unbeaten start to the new season, picking up six points from their four matches, which has left them in sixth position in the table.
The Star of the South started their campaign with a thumping 5-1 win over Pendikspor, while they have drawn their last three games against Kasimpasa, Alanyaspor and Adana Demirspor.
The devastating earthquake that hit Turkey earlier this year lead to Hatayspor withdrawing from the Super Lig last season, with the team finishing bottom of the table on 23 points from 26 matches.
The club's forward Christian Atsu and sporting director Taner Savut lost their lives in the earthquakes, so this will be an emotional season for the club as they bid to move forward.
Volkan Demirel's side, as expected, were incredibly active during the summer market, with 24-year-old midfielder Massanga Matondo their biggest signing in terms of a transfer fee.
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Team News
Karagumruk have not reported any injury concerns heading into Monday's contest.
The hosts have only scored three times in their opening four matches of the new campaign, so head coach Erdem will need to find a resolution to their struggles in the final third of the field.
There are unlikely to be any real surprises when it comes to their XI for this match, though, with Ryan Mendes, who has one of their three goals, set to feature in the final third of the field, while Kevin Lasagna is expected to lead the line once again.
As for Hatayspor, Carlos Strandberg has been in strong from at the start of the new season, finding the back of the net on three occasions, and he will again feature at the tip of the attack.
Faouzi Ghoulam is on the sidelines through injury, but the unbeaten outfit are otherwise in strong shape, as they prepare for their fifth match of the 2023-24 campaign.
Head coach Demirel could decide to select the same XI that took to the field for the first whistle against Adana Demirspor before the international break, with Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, who has also netted three times this term, again set to operate as the number 10.
Fatih Karagumruk possible starting lineup:
Dituro; Mercan, Dresevic, Ceccherini, Veseli; Ugur, Feghouli; Keles, Rohden, Mendes; Lasagna
Hatayspor possible starting lineup:
Kardesler; Corekci, Kilama, Bekaroglu, Aksoy; Saglam, Aburjania; Beyaz, Dele-Bashiru, Fernandes; Strandberg
We say: Fatih Karagumruk 1-1 Hatayspor
Hatayspor have drawn their last three league matches, and we can see the points being shared once again on Monday evening. Karagumruk will be bidding to bounce back from their loss at the start of the month, and a share of the spoils would not be the worst result for either side here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
