The battle for the European places in the Turkish Super Lig is getting tougher from week to week, as two neighbours in the table Kasimpasa and Kayserispor face off in the early kickoff on Saturday.
The hosts go into the game on the back of a narrow 2-1 away defeat to Galatasaray, while the visitors recorded a 1-0 home win over Alanyaspor.
Match preview
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Kasimpasa put up a decent fight in the second half against current Super League leaders Galatasaray, even creating several more clear-cut chances than their opponents after going 2-0 down through Wilfried Zaha's second goal of the day, including one which Kenneth Omeruo capitalised on to make it 2-1 just five minutes later.
A defeat ended their two-game winning streak in the league and a three-game winning run in all competitions, as victories against Sivasspor and Istanbulspor in the league saw them climb up the table and move within touching distance of the top four and European spots.
Despite a loss, Kemal Ozdes's men are currently just one point behind fourth-placed Trabzonspor and three points behind Adana Demirspor, who sit in third place, which certainly makes them competitive in the fight for European spots.
Somewhat surprisingly, Kasimpasa have performed better away from home this season. Last weekend's defeat to Galatasaray was their first in their five away games so far, while they have already suffered two defeats at home – a 2-0 loss to Fenerbahce and a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Trabzonspor.
The team's defence is undoubtedly their weak point in home games - in six games at the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stadium, the team have conceded 12 goals, with only relegation candidates Pendikspor having a worse record.
Kayserispor, on the other hand, extended their winning streak in the Super Lig last weekend with a 1-0 victory over Alanyaspor, their third league win in a row.
Following this run of three successive wins, including a 3-1 victory over Caykur Rizespor and a 2-1 triumph over Hatayspor a few weeks ago, Kayserispor are now sixth in the table with 19 points, level on points with fourth-placed Trabzonspor.
Furthermore, Recep Ucar's men have not only performed impressively in the league, but also in the cup competitions, as they advanced to the next round of the Turkish Cup with a 4-0 win over Igdir FK last Thursday.
The only worrying thing for Kayserispor at the moment is their away record, as they have only managed one win out of a possible five away from home, scoring just five goals in total.
Team News
Kasimpasa go into Saturday's game with a more or less fit squad, with only striker Nuno Da Costa and midfielder Samuel Bastien missing through injury.
Da Costa has only played three times for Kasimpasa this season following his move from Auxerre and has yet to make a decisive impact, meaning Julien Ngoy is the hosts' first choice.
However, attacking midfielder Aytac Kara is undoubtedly the team's key player in attack, scoring six goals and providing three assists in 11 Super League games this season.
Kayserispor's injury plight is even less of an issue, with coach Ucar only having to do without midfielder Yaw Ackah, who has yet to feature regularly this season.
The visitors have had a more or less fixed attacking structure in most games this season, with attacking midfielder Miguel Cardoso, wingers Carlos Mane and Aylton Boa Morte and striker Mame Thiam all operating in the front four.
Kasimpasa possible starting lineup:
Gianniotis; Winck, Omeruo, Ciftpinar, Ben Quanes; Gul, Gomis, Fall, Kara, Hajradinovic; Ngoy
Kayserispor possible starting lineup:
Bayazit; Sazdagi, Hosseini, Attamah, Carole; Yilmaz, Karimi, Cardoso, Boa Morte, Mane; Thiam
We say: Kasimpasa 1-1 Kayserispor
At this stage of the season, there is not much difference between the two teams, as both have been in similar form recently.
Kayserispor's rather poor away record could indicate that the visitors are in a slightly worse position going into this game than the hosts, but Kasimpasa's unimpressive defensive home record also make them rather vulnerable and far from favourites in this game.
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