Umraniyespor will look to continue their positive form in the Turkish Super Lig on Sunday when they take on Istanbulspor at the Umraniye Belediyesi Sehir Stadium.
The hosts come into this one off the back of a victory at Giresunspor, while Istanbulspor make the trip following a draw against Gaziantep at home.
Match preview
Umraniyespor have endured a frustrating 2022-23 campaign so far and sit 18th in the Turkish Super Lig under manager Recep Ucar.
They share the joint-worst home record in the division with opponents Istanbulspor, having claimed just five points at the Umraniye Belediyesi Sehir this season.
Nevertheless, they did record a win in their most recent encounter, as a late Antonio Mrsic side granted them a 1-0 victory away to Giresunspor.
Despite occupying one of the relegation places, Umraniyespor are unbeaten in three matches and will hope to continue the trend this weekend.
Should they secure three points, Umraniyespor could move to within two points of exiting the demotion places if other results in the league fall their way.
On the other hand, Istanbulspor occupy the bottom spot in the Turkish Super Lig and will arrive with a point to prove as they seek to avoid being cut adrift at the foot of the table.
Fatih Tekke has had his work cut out in charge of the Bulls, with his side struggling to adapt to the pace of the top league in Turkey since gaining promotion in 2021-22.
Last time out, Valon Ethemi scored a penalty no fewer than twelve minutes into stoppage time to grant his side a valuable point at home to Gaziantep in a 1-1 stalemate.
Despite this, they have also only accumulated five points in the league so far this season and will need to improve in the coming weeks majorly.
With a win against Umraniyespor, Istanbulspor could leapfrog their opponents into 18th and put themselves within reach of climbing out of the relegation slots.
Team News
Umraniyespor goalkeeper Anil Demir picked up a straight red card in the victory over Giresunspor and is suspended for the visit of Istanbulspor.
Allyson and Oguz Gurbulak are also missing through suspension and will be unable to play any part on Sunday in the match.
Antonio Mrsic may have earned himself an opportunity to start owing to his goalscoring exploits last time out, with Durel Avonou potentially making way.
For the visitors, Ibrahim Yilmaz is serving a suspension and will not be available to play for the away side.
Emir Gultekin is expected to be out with a shoulder injury until at least March sidelining him once again, while Eslem Ozturk is carrying an ACL injury that will rule him out of contention.
Umraniyespor possible starting lineup:
Kirintili; Popov, Glumac, Yilmaz, Atasayar; Ayik, Sackey, Mrsic; Geraldo, Gheorge, Nayir
Istanbulspor possible starting lineup:
Jensen; Duhaney, Yesil, Erdogan, Aksu; Kabasakal; Ethemi, Topalli, Sarikaya, Berber; Owusu
We say: Umraniyespor 1-0 Istanbulspor
In a match with permutations at the bottom end of the table, we expect a keenly fought match that will be played at a high intensity.
On this occasion, Umraniyespor will prevail by a narrow margin and boost their hopes of survival in the Turkish Super Lig.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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