The Sivas 4 Eylul Stadium braces for a clash between two sides looking to get back on track, as Sivasspor host Besiktas on Sunday.
The visitors look to strengthen their grip of a place in the top four while the hosts need points to avoid getting involved in the relegation mix-up.
Match preview
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Sivasspor's winless streak extended to four games in the league after a 2-1 defeat to Antalyaspor.
Bulent Uygun's men took the lead through Bengali-Fode Koita, but their advantage was short-lived as Adam Buksa equalised from the penalty spot in the 28th minute, before Dario Saric netted a second for Antalyaspor in first-half stoppage time.
The Braves have had a rollercoaster thus far, but they currently sit in 13th place with 26 points, four clear of the relegation zone.
They are back at home this weekend, where their form has been dismal, having won only one league match at the Sivas 4 Eylul Stadium all season, losing twice and drawing a league-high seven matches, making them the second-worst team on home turf in the Super Lig.
Despite their struggles, Sivasspor will hope to draw confidence from their recent victory over the Black Eagles in their last home encounter - their only win in the past seven meetings between the two sides.
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Meanwhile, Besiktas have now failed to win in two consecutive league matches, following their shocking 4-0 loss to Pendikspor with a goalless draw at home against Adana Demirspor last time out.
Prior to their last two matches, Besiktas were on a three-match winning streak — scoring 11 goals and keeping three clean sheets — a run which saw them put four past second-tier Eyupspor in the Turkish Cup, while also recording 4-0 and 3-0 victories over Caykur Rizespor and Fatih Karagumruk respectively in the Super Lig.
Lack of consistency and defensive vulnerability have been the biggest issues for the Black Eagles this season, as they sit fourth in the Super Lig table, 21 points adrift of the top two sides Fenerbahce and Galatasaray.
Fernando Santos's men have shipped 30 goals in their 21 league matches so far — the second-highest number of goals conceded amongst the sides in the top half of the table and just six less than their total tally in the 2022-23 campaign (35).
Before the loss to Pendikspor in their last away match, Besiktas were on a run of four games on the road without defeat, and they will look to get back on track on Sunday against a struggling Sivasspor side.
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Team News
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Sivasspor have two players away on international duty, with both Ahmed Musa and Clinton N'Jie representing Nigeria and Cameroon at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations.
Caner Osmanpasa, Ziya Erdal, and Hakan Arslan are all doubtful due to injury or illness, while Charis Charisis is sidelined as he nurses a hamstring injury.
For Besiktas, Arthur Masuaku and Vincent Aboubakar are currently away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Congo DR and Cameroon, and are unavailable for this clash.
On the injury front, Santos will be unable to call upon the services of Amir Hadziahmetovic and Emrecan Uzunhan, who are both ruled out through ACL injuries.
Former Liverpool man Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been sidelined since December through a thigh problem while Umut Meras is also nursing a muscle issue.
Sivasspor possible starting lineup:
Vural; Kapacak, Appindangoye, Camara, Ciftci; Pougouras, Kvet, Erdal; Bassan, Manaj, Barrow
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Gunok; Bulut, Sanuc, Bingol, Meras; Tiknaz; Rashica, Zaynutdinov, Fernandes, Kilicsoy; Tosun
We say: Sivasspor 0-1 Besiktas
Neither Sivasspor nor Besiktas are in top form, making this match a difficult one to call. However, the visitors have several players of higher quality, which could give them the edge in the final stages.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
