Kayserispor and Sivasspor lock horns in an intriguing Turkish Super Lig clash on Sunday, with both sides harbouring contrasting ambitions within the tight confines of the table.
The hosts, perched in fourth place, dream of European adventures, while their visitors seek to consolidate their climb away from the relegation zone.
Match preview
Under the astute management of Recep Ucar, Kayserispor have punched above their weight this season, currently occupying fourth place in the Turkish Super Lig with 29 points, and a European dream looking achievable.
However, their recent form has been less than impressive, with two defeats in a row including a 2-0 loss away at lowly-placed Konyaspor last time out.
Back this weekend against a familiar opposition who they have faced 49 times, recording 17 wins, 15 draws and 17 defeats, the Anatolian Star will be desperate for maximum points to keep their spot in the top four.
Playing at the Kadir Has Stadium has been a strong point for Kayserispor this season, with five wins, three draws and just one defeat - a 4-3 loss to league leaders Fenerbahce in their last home match.
The passionate home support will be roaring them on against Sivasspor, seeking to extend their home winning run against the Braves in the league to three matches.
Sivasspor have had an inconsistent season, which has seen them hover near the relegation zone for the most part, but two wins in four matches last month saw them rise to 11th place in the standings with 21 points while still only four points above the drop zone.
The Braves will look to build on their hard-fought 1-0 win over Istanbulspor last time out, with Rey Manaj's 86th minute strike sealing the victory.
However, Sivasspor have not claimed consecutive league wins all season, last winning consecutive matches in the competition in April.
Bulent Uygun's side have struggled on the road recently with three defeats in their last four trips, but they have picked up over 60% of their total points away from home so far, which leaves them with some confidence going into Sunday's match.
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Team News
The home side will lose a host of players to international duty this month, starting from this match, with Julian Jeanvier, Carlos Mane, Majid Hosseini and Olivier Kemen all leaving to represent their countries in continental tournaments.
Dimitris Kolovetsios is expected to replace Hosseini in the starting line up for the duration of his absence, which will see him join Gokhan Sazdagi, Joseph Attamah and Hasan Ali Kaldirim in a back four.
The away side will also be without Ahmed Musa and Clinton NJie due to international duties, but every other player will be available.
Samu Saiz and Charis Charisis are expected to start in the middle of the park, with Manaj leading the line once again.
Kayserispor possible starting lineup:
Bayazit; Sazdagi, Kolovetsios, Attamah, Kaldirim; Karimi, Yilmaz, Boa Morte, Kemen, Cardoso; Thiam
Sivasspor possible starting lineup:
Sasal; Okumus, Osmanpasa, Camara, Ciftci; Konak; Kapacak, Charisis, Saiz, Barrow; Manaj
We say: Kayserispor 1-0 Sivasspor
This promises to be a close and entertaining encounter, with Kayserispor looking to get back on track while utilising their home support, but Sivasspor have looked better away from home this season, which means they will make it a tough one.
However, we still expect the home side to edge this one in the end.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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