Sivasspor will be looking to mark their return from the international break with a much-needed victory in the Super Lig when they take on Trabzonspor at BG Group 4 Eylul Stadyumu on Monday evening.
Having failed to win their last two league matches, the hosts have slipped to 14th place in the league standings, while the visitors have climbed to fourth place following a solid run of results before the break.
Match preview
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Sivasspor suffered their fourth loss of the campaign in their last match, beaten 3-0 by Fatih Karagumruk, who moved above them into 13th place in the league standings after the first 12 games of the season.
That result brought an end to a three-match unbeaten streak, which included an against-the-odds draw to third-placed Adana Demirspor and a cup victory against lower-division outfit Artvin Hopaspor earlier this month.
The Braves are now on 14 points, four above Alanyaspor and the drop zone, though a loss here could see them drop as low as 16th, with just one point separating them from Konyaspor and Pendikspor in 15th and 16th, respectively.
The big issue for Servet Cetin, though, is his side's home form, as they are still in search of their first victory on home soil this season, currently possessing a record of four draws and two losses in six games.
While the hosts are outsiders in this one, they did pull off a 4-1 upset victory in the last encounter against this opponent at this venue last season, and another positive result here could be exactly what is needed to give them a boost heading into the busy period.
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Meanwhile, after a forgettable attempted title defence last season, Trabzonspor have been better this term but have struggled to keep up with the league's frontrunners, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce.
After securing a 2-1 win over Konyaspor ahead of the international break, the Burgundy Blues remained in fourth place but are now one of four teams level on 22 points, nine behind The Yellow Canaries and 11 short of The Lions.
Abdullah Avci's side fell behind early in the season after losing two of their first three league matches, but their most recent victory sees them head into this encounter unbeaten in their last four, including three wins and a draw.
Trabzonspor have only taken four points in their last four away league games, and while they have been the superior side in this fixture over the years, the visitors have not won in their last three visits to BG Group 4 Eylul Stadyumu.
Team News
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Fode Koita has been flagged as a slight doubt for this match after sustaining a knock against Karagumruk, though he has not been ruled out of selection as yet.
Burak Kapacak will be out for another month with a thigh injury, while Modou Barrow is only expected to return in the New Year, which could see Rey Manaj be given a chance in attack if Koita is unable to feature.
Mislav Orsic is set to be sidelined until March next year due to a serious ACL injury, though Paul Onuachu has been leading the line very well of late with three goals in his last two league matches.
Umut Bozok has missed three matches with a knock but could return to the squad for this match, while Ugurcan Cakir is still at least a week away from returning from an extended injury absence.
Sivasspor possible starting lineup:
Sasal; Okumus, Appindangoye, Osmanpasa, Ciftci; Konak, Rodrigues, Alonso, Charisis, Bassan; Koita
Trabzonspor possible starting lineup:
Tepe; Aydin, Baniya, Denswil, Larsen; Ozdemir, Visca, Omur, Mendy, Pepe; Onuachu
We say: Sivasspor 1-2 Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor were in excellent form leading into the international break and will be looking to pick up where they left off with another victory in this one.
Sivasspor have fared well in this fixture in recent times, but their home form this season suggests that they may struggle here.
We are expecting a close match, but fancy the visitors to win by the odd goal.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
