Gaziantep will host Istanbul Basaksehir at Gaziantep Stadium on Saturday afternoon in a Turkish Super Lig clash, hoping to pick up a win that would help them steer further away from the relegation zone.
The hosts saw their four-match unbeaten run end before the international break, while the visitors are without a win in their last five league matches.
Match preview
Gaziantep kicked off their season with a win over Bodrumspor, but they failed to pick up another win in their following seven matches, losing four and drawing three of those games.
The Hawks ended the winless run with back-to-back wins over Konyaspor and Goztepe to get their season back on track, but they could not make it three in a row when they took on Hatayspor just before the break.
Selcuk Inan's men lost 3-1 to Hatayspor, which saw them drop to 14th place with 12 points, leaving them one point above the relegation zone.
The Hawks will look to get back on track when they take on Istanbul Basaksehir on Saturday, but the hosts have failed to win any of the last five encounters against Saturday's opposition, losing four and drawing one.
However, Gaziantep have lost just one home game this season, unbeaten in the last four, with two draws and consecutive wins in their last two.
After their bright start to the season with a 10-match unbeaten run across all competitions, Istanbul Basaksehir have dropped off and are now without a win in their last eight matches across all competitions.
Five of the games in that winless run have come in the Super Lig, with the Grey Owls losing two and drawing three times since the win over Sivasspor on September 27.
Cagdas Atan's side settled for a goalless draw with Besiktas just before the break, which saw them remain in eighth place with 16 points from 11 matches, six points off the top four.
Istanbul will hope to end their winless run on Saturday when they visit a stadium they won last season, but a run of four matches on the road without a win across all competitions leaves some doubt in the visitors' ability to pick up a win.
Team News
Gaziantep will play Saturday's clash without defender Bruno Viana, who was sent off in the defeat to Hatayspor last time out.
Emre Tasdemir is likely to replace Viana in the starting XI, while Godfrey Stephen is sidelined with a leg injury, which makes him doubtful.
Istanbul are heading into this clash with a full squad available, with no injuries or suspensions to contend with.
Krzysztof Piatek is likely to lead the Grey Owls' attack, hoping to add more to his six league goals this season.
Gaziantep possible starting lineup:
Dioudis; Ersoy, Kizildag, Tasdemir, Mandouki; Sorescu, Kozlowski, Eskihellac, Maxim; Dervisoglu, Lungoyi
Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:
Sengezer; Sahiner, Duarte, Opoku, Kemen; Crespo, Ergun, Figueiredo; Gurler, Turuc, Piatek
We say: Gaziantep 1-1 Istanbul Basaksehir
Both teams are struggling with inconsistency at the moment, and are both coming into this clash after dropping points, which is why we believe that this clash will end in a stalemate, as they are both operating at a similar level currently.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
body check tags ::
Previews by email
