Besiktas are hoping to recover from a shocking loss to Adana Demirspor in their last Turkish Super Lig game when they host Alanyaspor at Tupras Stadyumu on Saturday.
The Black Eagles conceded two first-half goals and could only pull one back in the second half in a game, while ending the game with 10 men after Tayyip Talha Sanuc was sent off in the 76th minute.
Match preview
Besiktas claimed a rare and vital victory over Fenerbahce, sparking hopes that they may have finally emerged from the turmoil that led to Giovanni van Bronckhorst's dismissal on November 30.
However, the Black Eagles have since suffered a defeat to Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League, followed by an embarrassing 2-1 loss to bottom-side Adana Demirspor in the Super Lig.
Interim manager Serdar Topraktepe has overseen three Super Lig matches, recording a win, a draw, and a loss, leaving Besiktas sixth in the standings, one point behind fourth-placed Eyupspor, who have played one game more.
Having won their last home game, Besiktas will approach Saturday's clash with a positive mindset – encouragingly, they have a strong home record against Alanyaspor, winning seven of eight such encounters.
Nevertheless, a 3-1 home defeat, which was their first in the history of this fixture, and a 1-1 away draw in the return leg, saw the Black Eagles fail to pick up a win against the visitors last season, and there will be concerns that their current form could bring about a repeat of this.
Like their opponents, Alanyaspor also made a managerial change last month, with Sami Ugurlu replacing Fatih Tekke who had resigned.
The appointment has proven to be a masterstroke, as Alanyaspor have won four of their six matches under the new manager across all competitions, including two victories in their last four Super Lig games.
Ugurlu's side bounced back from a defeat to Kayserispor with a convincing 3-0 win over Gaziantep in their last league game, and they followed it with a 3-2 victory over second-tier Amed SK in the Turkish Cup fifth round on Tuesday.
Alanyaspor are gradually climbing away from the relegation zone, with their recent form lifting them to 14th place, two points above the drop zone.
Maintaining momentum will be crucial for Alanyaspor, who will view Besiktas as a vulnerable opponent – however, they must improve their away form, having only picked up five points from seven away matches, including two draws and two losses in their last four.
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Team News
Besiktas will head into this clash with two defenders missing: Gabriel Paulista, who is out with a hamstring issue, and Talha Sanuc, who is suspended after being sent off last time out.
Midfielder Necip Uysal is also confirmed to be out with a ligament injury that is expected to keep him sidelined until next month, while Milot Rashica is also unavailable due to an ankle injury.
Ciro Immobile, who has netted nine times in the Super Lig this season, has missed the Black Eagles' last two matches and could be set to miss a third, leaving Semih Kilicsoy to lead the attack.
Alanyaspor are set to remain without defender Furkan Bayir, who is sidelined with an ankle injury that is expected to keep him out until next month.
Hwang Ui-jo came off the bench to score a brace in the win over Gaziantep, and this could earn him a spot in the starting XI, playing behind or alongside Sergio Cordova in attack.
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Gunok; Svensson, Topcu, Uduokhai, Masuaku; Ucan, Elmusrati; Keles, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Silva; Kilicsoy
Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:
Taskiran; Ozdemir, Aliti, Lima, Hadergjonaj; Janvier, Aksoy; Augusto, Makouta, Karaca; Cordova
We say: Besiktas 1-1 Alanyaspor
It is a tricky tie for Besiktas, who saw their stock drop further after the loss to bottom-placed Adana, despite the victory over Fenerbahce in the previous week.
Given Alanyaspor's resurgence under Ugurlu, we believe that the visitors currently have enough to pick up a positive result in this clash, which is why we are predicting a stalemate.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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