Action continues in the Turkish Super Lig as Alanyaspor host Caykur Rizespor at the Bahcesehir Okullari Stadium on Saturday.
Both sides are coming off midweek cup exits, and will be looking to quickly get back on track in a clash of two teams with contrasting ambitions.
Match preview
Alanyaspor's hopes for Turkish Cup glory evaporated on Wednesday with a 3-1 extra-time defeat to Samsunspor, marking their second successive loss and extending their winless streak across all competitions to four games.
After battling through a rocky start to the season, Alanya roared back in December, climbing the table with impressive performances.
However, they have failed to pick up where they left off in the new year, as a 1-1 draw with Ankaragucu was followed by a 3-2 defeat to Istanbul Basaksehir in their last league outing, sending them tumbling to 13th place, just two points above the relegation zone.
Saturday presents a chance for redemption as they host Caykur Rizespor, an opponent they have enjoyed recent dominance over, having triumphed in their last three home encounters against them, while only suffering one defeat in their last nine meetings.
Alanya are undefeated in their last three league games at the Bahcesehir Okcu Arena, a run they will hope to extend. However, inconsistency haunts them, having amassed a meagre 13 points from a possible 30 on home soil this season.
Rizespor's cup dreams also met a bitter end on Tuesday, conceding two late goals to lose 3-1 against Ankaragucu.
In the league, however, they have shown resilience, bouncing back from a humbling 4-0 thrashing by Besiktas to secure a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Adana Demirspor last weekend.
Attila Mocsi's 54th-minute strike proved the difference, propelling Ilhan Palut's side to fifth place in the Super Lig standings, just three points adrift of fourth-placed Besiktas.
A strong first half of the season and a decent start to the second have Rizespor dreaming of European qualification.
However, to make that dream a reality, they must address their travel woes, having gone winless in their last six league games on the road, scraping together a mere nine points from a possible 27 in away fixtures.
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Team News
Loide Augusto is away on international duty with Angola at the Africa Cup of Nations and is the only one unavailable for the hosts.
Leroy Fer should be back in the starting lineup serving a one-match suspension for the straight red card he received against Ankaragucu.
Rizespor remain without the services of Nigerian midfielder Azubuike Okechukwu, who continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining an ankle injury last July.
Defender Khusniddin Alikulov is currently away with the Uzbekistan national team in the Asian Cup and the 24-year-old is also out of contention for this weekend's clash.
Adolfo Gaich scored eight goals in five games during the month of December but has yet to find the net since the turn of the year. However, he is expected to lead the line once again for the visitors.
Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:
Taskiran; Hadergjonaj, Lima, Aliti, Balkovec; Richard, Fer; Aydin, Janvier, Ozdemir; Karaca
Caykur Rizespor possible starting lineup:
Cetin; Sahin, Topcu, Yasar, Nielsen; Shelvey, Olawoyin; Keser, Varesanovic, Zeqiri; Gaich
We say: Alanyaspor 1-1 Caykur Rizespor
This is a tricky tie for the hosts, who find themselves close to the drop zone and in desperate need of a win here.
However, they have dominated this fixture at home and this might give them the needed confidence going into Saturday's game. The visitors have also been poor on the road, but we think this will be a stalemate.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
