Sivasspor and Istanbulspor clash in a fascinating Turkish Super Lig encounter at the New Sivas 4 Eylul Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with both teams looking to pick up valuable points.
Both sides will lock horns a few days after Istanbulspor's president Ecmel Faik Sarialioglu withdrew his players from the pitch when the referee denied his team a penalty call midway through the second half against Trabzonspor, resulting in the match being abandoned.
Match preview
Sivasspor head into this weekend's clash off the back of a 3-1 away defeat against Istanbul Basaksehir last time out despite taking the lead via Samuel Saiz.
The Braves have not had a great start to the season, winning four, drawing six and losing six of their opening 16 league fixtures, leaving them in 13th place with 18 points, only three points clear of 17th-placed Samsunspor.
Servet Cetin's side have just one win in their last six games, which was a 1-0 victory over Konyaspor away from home, while they have lost three Super Lig games within that period.
This weekend, Sivasspor will play in front of their home fans for the first time since their 3-3 draw with Trabzonspor on November 27, still seeking their first home win of the season.
While they are one of the top three teams on the road this season, the Braves have the worst record at home in this campaign alongside Pendikspor, picking up just five points from a possible 21 while being the only side yet to have a win on home turf so far.
Only Pendikspor have scored fewer goals at home than Sivasspor this season, having netted just seven of their 19 league goals at the New Sivas 4 Eylul Stadium, which will be a huge concern for Cetin.
Having faced off twice in the league, the Braves are yet to record a win over Istanbulspor, but they will see this as a perfect opportunity to get their first Super Lig win over the struggling visitors.
Meanwhile, Istanbulspor were trailing 2-1 when their match against Trabzonspor was abandoned after the referee failed to award a penalty to Hakan Yakin's side following a collision between Trabzonspor's Batista Mendy and Istanbulspor midfielder Florian Loshaj.
Although no decision has been made on what happens next, according to Turkish Football Federation rules, "A team that leaves a competition will be declared a loser by default, and in addition, the number of points awarded in case of victory will be deducted from its existing points".
The People's Team find themselves stuck to the bottom of the table, picking up just eight points from two wins, two draws and 11 defeats, five points behind 19th-placed Pendikspor as they head into Saturday's fixture.
Istanbulspor are one of the two teams, alongside Adana Demirspor, yet to pick up an away win in this campaign, while they have lost six of their seven games on the road.
Looking at the home form of their hosts, Yakin's men might see this as the perfect opportunity to pick up their first away win this season but recent events give little optimism.
Team News
The home side have no injury worries or suspensions heading into this clash, with Cetin having the luxury of a fully available squad.
Saiz and Charis Charisis are expected to start in the middle of the park, with Rey Manaj leading the line once again.
Eduart Rroca is the away side's only reported absentee, with the midfield man not expected back from a hamstring injury until January.
Muammer Sarikaya scored Istanbulspor's only goal in the abandoned match against Trabzonspor, and should start in midfield for the visitors alongside Loshaj.
Sivasspor possible starting lineup:
Sasal; Okumus, Osmanpasa, Camara, Ciftci; Konak; Kapacak, Charisis, Saiz, N'Jie; Manaj
Istanbulspor possible starting lineup:
Arda; Duhaney, Deli, Erdogan, Yesil, Yasar; Jackson, Loshaj, Sarikaya, Ndao; Ethemi
We say: Sivasspor 1-0 Istanbulspor
Sivasspor might be struggling at home struggling this so far but it's clear that they are a better side than Istanbulspor, and this will be the difference on Saturday.
The visitors are low on confidence and have had little to offer this season, which is why we are backing the home side to edge this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
