The final match of gameweek 25 in the Turkish Super Lig will come from RHG Enerturk Enerji Stadyumu, where Kayserispor will play host to Besiktas on Monday evening.
The hosts are in desperate need of a positive result and head into this match with 28 points after 24 matches, while the visitors have managed 39 points over the same period.
Match preview
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Kayserispor worked their way into the top half of the table heading into the Christmas period with an excellent run of results following last October's international break, but they have steadily dropped in the standings over the last couple of months.
Seven consecutive defeats between December 20 and January 25 followed and proved to be enough for the club's chiefs to bring an end to Recep Ucar's tenure in Kayseri after just 21 matches in charge.
Burak Yilmaz was appointed as Ucar's successor, and after steering his side to consecutive 1-1 draws in his first two matches in charge, the 38-year-old will now face his biggest challenge against the club that he spent four seasons with as a player.
The Anatolian Stars have taken a total of 12 points from a possible 36 on the road this season, and the new manager will be looking to halt a five-match winless run (W0 D1 L4) on their travels.
However, his side were beaten 2-1 by this opponent back in September at home, marking their seventh consecutive defeat against Besiktas dating back to January 2021.
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Meanwhile, with Galatasaray and Fenerbahce both breaking away over 20 points clear of the chasing pack, Besiktas's major focus will be to secure at least a top-four finish to stay in the hunt for European football next season.
Despite currently sitting third in the league standings, the Black Eagles are far from being in a comfortable position, with just three points separating them from Rizespor, who are currently in sixth place.
Fernando Santos's side managed to secure a valuable three points last week, beating top-four rivals Trabzonspor 2-0 courtesy of a Semih Kilicsoy brace, snapping up a three-match winless streak during which time they failed to score a single goal.
They followed that up with a mixed performance in the Turkish Cup in midweek, which saw them go a goal down before the break, but an inspired change after the interval proved to be the game-changing moment as Jackson Muleka came on to net two goals in the final 20 minutes of the match to carry his side into the last eight.
Despite the visitors' solid record in this fixture, they have a considerable injury list to contend with, and their evidently fragile confidence could contribute to making this a fairly level encounter.
Team News
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The hosts will be without the services of a key midfielder in Kartal Yilmaz, who will be serving his one-match suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards.
In terms of injuries, Anthony Uzodimma (cartilage), Majid Hosseini (ankle) and Stephane Bahoken (muscle) are ruled out for this match, while Carlos Mane is flagged as a doubt.
As mentioned, Beskitas have a laundry list of absentees at present, including long-term injuries to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Amir Hadziahmetovic, both of whom are expected to miss the majority of the season.
Emrecan Uzunhan and Salih Ucan are out until March with ACL and thigh injuries respectively, while Vincent Aboubakar, Omar Colley, Jonas Svensson and Rachid Ghezzal are all a few weeks away from returning to action.
Kayserispor possible starting lineup:
Bayazit; Civelek, Kocaman, Kolovetsios, Carole; Ozbek, Ackah; Cardoso, Kaldirim, Boa Morte; Sazdagi
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Gunok; Bulut, Worrall, Colley, Meras; Rashica, Amartey, Fernandes; Ghezzal, Kilicsoy, Tosun
We say: Kayserispor 1-1 Besiktas
Besiktas have struggled for any type of consistency this season, and while they come into this match following back-to-back victories, their performances in those matches were far from convincing. All things considered, Yilmaz has made a solid start to life as manager of Kayserispor, and we feel he may be able to sneak a point against his former employers.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
