Round 28 of the Turkish Super Lig pits Konyaspor against Adana Demirspor at Torku Arena, with both sides looking to increase their respective point-gap over the bottom four.
Four points separate both teams heading into this game, with the hosts in 14th with 31 points while the visitors are 10th with 35 points.
Match preview
Konyaspor secured a 2-0 victory over Pendikspor to take them out of the bottom four, increasing their chances of remaining in the top-flight at the end of this season.
Sokol Cikalleshi gave them the lead from the penalty spot in the 12th minute before Valon Ethemi sealed the win with a second in the 73rd minute.
The Anatolian Eagles, who have endured a torrid season so far, a far cry from last season when they finished in eighth place, are now two points above the drop zone.
They will look to keep the positive run going when they welcome Adana to Torku Arena on Saturday, a side they have lost to in their last two encounters.
However, Konyaspor's last victory over Adana came in 2022 on home soil, and this could fuel their confidence heading into this fixture.
Fahrudin Omerovic's side have also won their last home games against Hatayspor and Ankaragucu respectively.
Adana head into this match having recorded their first win since December 24, a run that saw them fail to win in 11 matches across all competitions, including 10 league games and a Turkish Cup exit in the hands of third-tier 24 Erzincanspor.
Mario Balotelli's 27th-minute penalty was enough to seal maximum points for the Blue Lightnings, who are now in the top half of the table.
Like their hosts, Adana are having an entirely different campaign compared to last season when they clinched European qualification.
Hikmet Karaman's side are six points above the first team in the bottom four and another poor run could see them in real danger of relegation battle.
With that in mind, the Blue Lightnings will look to secure a first away win to help their course when they travel to face Konyaspor on Saturday, as all of their eight league victories have been on home soil.
Karaman will hope his side can replicate the 2-1 win they recorded in their last visit to Torku Arena, which was their first since 1997.
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Team News
Konyaspor will be without Adil Demirbag and Cebrail Karayel, who are both out until late March with muscle injuries.
Cikalleshi should lead the line once again looking to add to his nine league goals, while Steven Nzonzi will play in front of the defence.
Semih Guler will be the only absentee for Adana as he serves a one-match suspension for accumulated yellow cards.
Ismail Cokcalis is expected to replace him in the center of the defence, playing alongside Andrew Gravillon.
Balotelli is again expected to lead the line in attack after scoring his fifth league goal in nine appearances last time out.
Konyaspor possible starting lineup:
Slowik; Oguz, Damjanovic, Yazgili, Haubert; N'Zonzi; Uglun, Dikmen, Ndao, Prip; Cikalleshi
Adana Demirspor possible starting lineup:
Mahammadaliyev; Atal, Gravillon, Cokcalis, Mohammadi; Akbaba, Maestro; Sari, Mendoza, Erdogan; Balotelli
We say: Konyaspor 1-0 Adana Demirspor
Konyaspor are enjoying a good run and have been solid at home in recent games. Adana, on the other hand, have been poor on the road and are yet to record any away win. We think that the hosts will edge this and extend their home run.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
