Sivasspor will welcome Kayserispor to the Sivas 4 Eylul Stadium in their Super Lig gameweek 21 fixture on Saturday, with both sides looking to end their respective winless spells and spark a resurgence in their fight against relegation.
The hosts are 15th in the table, winless in eight league games, while the 17th-placed visitors are looking to snap a four-game winless streak in the top division.
Match preview
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Sivasspor were trounced 4-0 by Trabzonspor in their last league outing at Papara Park, thus extending their winless run to eight games and compounding their relegation fears.
With their latest defeat, the Braves are 15th in the standings with 20 points from 19 matches, leaving them one place and four points above the relegation zone.
Omer Erdogan and his team will view this fixture as a perfect chance to end the rot given their recent history against the visitors, and separated by only four points in the table, Sivasspor will be keen to avoid a slip.
However, despite the dominance of Sivasspor in their last six meetings over Saturday's opponents, the home form of the Braves casts doubts on their chances of extending that record, having not won in front of their own fans since November 2, and scoring just three goals in that time.
That said, runaway league leaders Galatasaray are the only visiting team to win at Sivasspor in the top flight since September, and that ability to grind out points in most of their home games could prove crucial to their survival bid.
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After a difficult start to the season, Kayserispor's top brass sanctioned the appointment of Sinan Kaloglu as the new manager in October to stem the rot at the club.
The appointment paid instant dividends, with the team embarking on a four-match unbeaten streak – a run which included their first win of the season, along with three draws.
However, Kaloglu's impressive start at the helm seems a distant memory now; with the Anatolian Star winless in their last four league games, scoring only two goals in that period.
Kayserispor's last league exertion ended in a 1-0 defeat to Samsunspor at the Samsun 19 Mayis Stadium, extending their unimpressive run.
Another sour point for the visiting side is their dismal run against Saturday's opponents – winless in the last six meetings, Kaloglu's team will be desperate to bring the Sivasspor hoodoo to an end, while also looking to claim their first away victory in the top division since November 8.
Team News
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For the hosts, Fode Koita will not be available for selection as a result of a suspension, while Mehmet Albayrak is sidelined on account of a cruciate ligament tear.
Similarly, Efkan Bekiroglu, Samba Camara, Alaadin Okumus and Jan Bieganski are not expected to feature on Saturday due to various injuries.
Anthony Uzodimma is the only injury concern for Sinan Kaloglu; other than that, he has a clean bill of health.
Meanwhile, Gokhan Sazdagi has served his suspension – and he is expected to be restored to the starting XI.
Sivasspor possible starting lineup:
Nikolic; Ciftci, Sundberg, Radakovic, Paluli; Moutoussamy, Charisis; Rodrigues, Pritchard, Bassan; Manaj
Kayserispor possible starting lineup:
Piri; Kolovetsios, Sazdagi, Jeanvier, Kaldirim; Attamah, Yilmaz; Morte, Cardoso, Mane; Bahoken
We say: Sivasspor 2-1 Kayserispor
Both sides are desperate to win to help them in their fight to beat the drop; however, the home side seems to hold the edge with their recent head-to-head record against the visitors.
Sivasspor have won their last three meetings and they remain unbeaten in six matches against the visitors. Therefore, we reckon Erdogan's team will claim a 2-1 victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
