Hatayspor will host Goztepe SK in the Turkish Super Lig on Sunday, with the hosts hoping to end a three-match winless streak and take a big step towards leaving the relegation zone.
Meanwhile, the visitors will be looking to win two matches in a row after bouncing back from defeat with a 3-1 victory against Adana Demirspor last time out.
Match preview
© Imago
Hatayspor struggled to stay in the top flight last season and have found themselves in a similar predicament this year, currently second from bottom with eight points from 14 matches.
The Star of the South failed to win any of their opening 10 matches, and their sole victory came against Gaziantep in their 11th attempt, though they have since failed to record another win.
Hatayspor headed into the game against Istanbul Basaksehir on a four-match unbeaten run across all competitions, but they were outclassed 3-0 and could not register more than one attempt on target in the game.
Riza Calimbay's side had a decent mini-run between late October and early December when they won three matches, but two of those victories were in the Turkish Cup, with the other league games in that run producing one defeat and two draws.
Avoiding losing streaks will be vital to the top-flight survival of the Star of the South, and this will be what they will look to avoid when they take on a Goztepe side that has proven that they belong at this level.
Hatayspor have dominated the recent installments of this fixture, winning the last two, but four losses in the seven times they have hosted this fixture highlights that they have found things difficult against the visitors in the past.
© Imago
Goztepe are enjoying their return to the top flight, with 24 points from 14 matches currently putting them in sixth place, two points behind fourth-placed Eyupspor who have played one extra game.
Stanimir Stoilov's side successfully bounced back from their loss to Basaksehir with the victory against the league's whipping boys last time out, despite playing over 14 minutes of the game with a man deficit following Ogun Bayrak's 76th-minute sending off.
The biggest issue for Goztepe in this campaign is the disparity between their home and away form – while they are unbeaten at home with six wins from seven games, the visitors have won just once on the road, while losing four of six away matches.
Out of their total 20 goals conceded so far, Stoilov's men have conceded 14 on the road, while they have lost four of the last five away matches, though playing at a ground that they have found success more times than not could increase their probability of getting a positive result on Sunday.
Team News
© Imago
Hatayspor could remain without midfielder Massanga Matondo, who is hoping to recover in time from a foot injury to play some part in this clash.
Carlos Strandberg, who is the team's top scorer in the Super Lig with three goals, will be looking to earn a place in the starting line-up.
Goztepe will have to make do without midfielder Bayrak who was sent off after two yellow cards last time out and is consequently suspended for this clash.
Kubilay Kanatsizkus is nursing an ankle injury that makes him doubtful, while Isaac Solet is ruled out of the season with an ACL injury.
Chelsea loanee David Datro Fofana is also sidelined for Sunday's game with a thigh injury that is expected to keep him out until January.
Hatayspor possible starting lineup:
Kardesler; Sertel, Calvo, Kilama, Yilmaz; Diack, Saglam; Bamgboye, Pedro, Fernandes; Aboubakar
Goztepe SK possible starting lineup:
Lis; Bokele, Heliton, Altikardes; Silva, Hugo, Dennis, Miroshi; Tijanic; Juan, Romulo
We say: Hatayspor 1-1 Goztepe SK
Goztepe have struggled on the road in this campaign, and this gives Hatayspor an opportunity to have a go at them at home, though we believe that the visitors still have enough quality to get something from the game, which is why we are predicting a stalemate.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
