Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Turkish Super Lig clash between Kasimpasa and Hatayspor, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Round 21 action resumes in the Turkish Super Lig as Kasimpasa and Hatayspor go head to head at the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stadium.
The hosts, once flying high, aim to halt their alarming slide down the table, while the visitors are looking to stop their winless run to avoid dropping into the relegation zone.
Match preview
Kasimpasa’s misery continued on Tuesday as they crashed out of the Turkish Cup with a 1-0 home defeat to second-tier Bandirmaspor, marking their third consecutive loss in all competitions.
After a promising first half of the season, Sami Ugurlu’s men looked like European qualification contenders.
However, the Apaches are now mired in a slump, having suffered successive league defeats to Ankaragucu (3-1) and Istanbul Basaksehir (3-0), scoring just once and conceding six in those games.
Ugurlu’s side have managed only one win in their last six Super Lig matches, alongside three defeats and two draws, a decline that has seen them plummet to 10th in the standings, nine points adrift of fourth-placed Besiktas and just six points above the relegation zone.
Next up is a home clash against an opponent they have failed to record victory against in their last two encounters, but have beaten in back-to-back games at the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stadium.
The Apaches have not won in their last three home games across all competitions, a streak Ugurlu will be desperate to snap on Saturday.
While Kasimpasa’s attack has been impressive, firing 16 goals since December, their leaky defence has conceded an equal number during this period, and this could be their undoing once again this weekend.
Hatayspor started the season like shooting stars, unbeaten in their first eight matches, but they have since plummeted towards the relegation zone, picking up just one win in their last 12 league games.
Nonetheless, Volkan Demirel’s side secured a confidence-boosting 5-1 Turkish Cup victory over lower-league Sakaryaspor.
Back in the league, the Star of the South climbed to 14th place with 21 points after a 1-1 draw with Pendikspor in their last league outing, level on points with 15th and 16th-placed Samsunspor and Gaziantep, and just one point above the drop zone.
Hatayspor are winless in their last eight league matches, recording four defeats and four draws since their November triumph against Galatasaray, a run Demirel will be eager to end this weekend.
However, with just one win in 10 away league games this season, coming in their very first away fixture of the season, the Star of the South are not likely to find respite from their struggles on Saturday.
Kasimpasa Turkish Super Lig form:
Kasimpasa form (all competitions):
Hatayspor Turkish Super Lig form:
Hatayspor form (all competitions):
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Team News
Experienced defender Kenneth Omeruo has joined up with the Nigeria national team at the Africa Cup of Nations and will not be available for a while, meaning that Utku Aydin and Yasin Ozcan will continue as the centre-back pairing once again.
Kasimpasa might also be without several key players down the spine of the team as the likes of defender Sadik Ciftpinar, midfielder Erdem Cetinkaya and forward Julien Ngoy all have issues surrounding their fitness ahead of this game.
Moroccan midfielder Dries Saddiki, who has missed the last five league matches through a muscle problem, and 27-year-old Samuel Bastien will also have to pass late fitness tests to feature on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Hatayspor remain without French midfielder Mehdi Boudjemaa, who is the only absentee as he continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury back in July.
Demirel is expected to stick with the same starting lineup that earned a draw against Pendikspor last time out, with Renat Dadashov leading the line.
Kasimpasa possible starting lineup:
Gianniotis; Ouanes, Aydin, Ozcan, Winck; Kara, Gul; Gomis, Fall, Hajradinovic; Da Costa
Hatayspor possible starting lineup:
Kardesler; Ghoulam, Kilama, Maksimovic, Corekci; Saglam, Aburjania, Hodzic; Beyaz, Dadashov, Rivas
We say: Kasimpasa 1-1 Hatayspor
Both sides are aware of the importance of getting back on track after their respective poor runs, and this will make it a tight affair. While the hosts have not been solid at home in recent games, the visitors have also not been great on the road all season. We think that both teams will cancel each other out.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data
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