High-flying Sivasspor play host to 10th-placed Denizlispor on Saturday afternoon in the Turkish Super Lig.
Sivasspor will be looking to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat to Antalyaspor in their most recent game, whereas Denizlispor enjoyed a victory over fellow mid-table side Genclerbirligi by the same scoreline last weekend.
Match preview
© Reuters
While Sivasspor have been unable to replicate their highly impressive early-season form as of late, they remain firmly in the mix for a first-ever Super Lig title.
However, a dismal defeat at the hands of Antalyaspor has left Riza Calimbay's side four points adrift of table-toppers Trabzonspor, having chalked up just two wins from their last eight league matches.
Sivasspor only recently regained their status as a top-flight club, winning the TFF First League title in the 2016-17 campaign after achieving back-to-back top-three finishes in the Super Lig between 2007 and 2009.
Calimbay's men go into the weekend's clash as the only Turkish side still unbeaten at home in the league, having won nine and drawn four of their 13 games at the Sivas Stadium.
Nevertheless, Sivasspor have drawn three of their last four league matches at home, but Saturday's match will provide the Yigidos with an excellent opportunity to crank up the pressure on the three teams above them.
Should Galatasaray suffer a shock defeat to struggling Rizespor on Sunday, Sivasspor will climb up to third with a victory.
Meanwhile, Denizlispor fans are finally seeing their side pick up victories again following an 11-game winless run in all competitions.
The Roosters are enjoying their first stint in the top flight for 10 years following their relegation from the first division in the 2009-10 season, but they could easily find themselves sliding back down the table if they fail to build upon recent results.
Former Wigan Athletic striker Hugo Rodallega would be the one to ensure Denizlispor secured all three points against Genclerbirligi last time out, as his 54th-minute strike ended a run of nine games without a goal for the 34-year-old.
Bulent Uygun's side are unbeaten in March so far, having won two and drawn one of their three league matches this month. The Roosters could rise to ninth or drop down to 12th depending on other results this weekend.
Sivasspor claimed all three points when the sides met in October, as goals from Hakan Arslan and ex-Everton forward Arouna Kone sealed a 2-0 victory for Uygun's men.
Sivasspor Super Lig form: DLWWDL
Sivasspor form (all competitions): DLWWDL
Denizlispor Super Lig form: DLLWDW
Team News
Sivasspor will be without Serhiy Rybalka, Petar Skuletic and Ziya Erdal through injury, although the latter is supposedly not too far away from a return to action.
Centre-back Samba Camara remains sidelined with an unknown injury, and fellow defender Marcelo Goiano is suspended.
Meanwhile, Denizlispor have a hefty injury list to contend with for the weekend's fixture.
Defenders Syam Ben Youssef and Zakarya Bergdich remain out, as do midfielders Isaac Sackey, Recep Niyaz and Marc Kibong Mbamba.
Rodallega is expected to lead the line following injuries to wingers Modou Barrow and Hadi Sacko.
Sivasspor possible starting lineup:
Samassa; Yardimci, Appindangoye, Osmanpasa, Ciftci; Aksoy, Arslan, Fernando, Yandas, Kilinc; Yatabare
Denizlispor possible starting lineup:
Stachowiak; Yavru, Yilmaz, Yumlu, Lopes; Murawski, Onazi, Estupinan, Aissati, Sahan; Rodallega
We say: Sivasspor 2-0 Denizlispor
Sivasspor have been full value for their unbeaten home record this season, and facing a Denizlispor side who have been ravaged with injuries in recent weeks, we are going for a comfortable victory for the title hopefuls.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Sivasspor win with a probability of 56.33%. A draw had a probability of 23% and a win for Denizlispor had a probability of 20.69%.
The most likely scoreline for a Sivasspor win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.9%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.86%) and 2-0 (9.86%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.9%), while for a Denizlispor win it was 0-1 (6.03%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 10.9% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Sivasspor in this match.
