Top four hopefuls Goztepe SK will look to bounce back from their recent setback when they welcome Alanyaspor to Gursel Aksel Stadium for round 22 of the Turkish Super Lig.
Goz Goz are coming off a 3-2 defeat on their trip to Fenerbahce, while the visitors secured a thrilling 5-4 victory at home to Istanbul Basaksehir, a result that leaves them 11th in the standings with 25 points, nine clear of the drop zone.
Match preview
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With last weekend's loss to the Yellow Canaries, Goztepe saw their three-match winning streak across all competitions come to an end, with the result also pushing Stanimir Stoilov's side out of the top four, leaving them fifth with 34 points, two behind fourth-placed Eyupspor.
In that encounter, Goz Goz took a 25th-minute lead through Juan, only to see their advantage overturned just 10 minutes into the second half following a Youssef En-Nesyri brace and an Oguz Aydin strike, rendering Novatus Miroshi's 82nd-minute effort a mere consolation as the visitors suffered their sixth defeat of the campaign.
Despite that setback, Goztepe have enjoyed an incredible season so far, as they remain in contention for a European berth despite only gaining promotion back into the top flight this term.
Goz Goz's excellent campaign has been driven by their formidable record at the Aksel, where they have won nine of their 10 encounters, drawing the other, making them the second-best home team in the division.
Their success on home turf has been underpinned by strength at both ends of the pitch, with 26 goals scored – the joint-second most in home matches – while conceding just six, also the joint-second fewest.
Goz Goz will take confidence from these statistics as they aim for their first victory in this fixture since 2020, when they claimed a 1-0 win against Antalyaspor at the Aksel.
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Meanwhile, the visitors, having gone four games unbeaten against Goztepe, will look to extend that streak and possibly secure back-to-back wins on their travels to the Aksel for the first time since their 2-0 and 4-0 triumphs between 2003 and 2005.
Alanyaspor head into this fixture after a nine-goal thriller at Alanya Oba Stadium, where an early flurry saw Sergio Cordova (13') and Yusuf Ozdemir (23') give the hosts the lead twice, only for Deniz Turuc (20') and Krzysztof Piatek (29') to level each time before the half-hour mark.
The second half proved even more dramatic, as Miguel Crespo put the visitors ahead in the 57th minute, only for the hosts to mount a late comeback — Richard equalising in the 80th, Loide Augusto putting them in front two minutes later, and Florent Hadergjonaj sealing the win in the 91st, rendering Piatek's 97th-minute brace-clincher a mere consolation.
That victory extended Alanyaspor's perfect home record under Sami Ugurlu – appointed on November 7 – with four wins in as many games at Alanya Oba.
However, the Turkish manager has struggled on the road, managing three draws and two defeats in five away Super Lig matches, a record he will aim to improve as his team visit Goztepe this weekend.
Team News
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Anthony Dennis is suspended for this encounter due to accumulated yellow cards, opening the door for Ahmed Ildiz to step in as his replacement.
Goztepe are dealing with a host of long-term absentees, including Erdogan Yesilyurt, Emre Uzun and Isaac Solet, who are all sidelined until the end of the season with cruciate ligament injuries.
The hosts will also be without David Datro Fofana, Taha Altikardes, Dogan Erdogan and Kubilay Kanatsizkus, with all players ruled out through injury.
Alanyaspor have several players suspended, with Augusto, Gaius Makouta and Nicolas Janvier all unavailable due to accumulated yellow cards.
Meanwhile, Cordova is a doubt after being forced off prematurely last time out, which could see Rony Lopes start on the right wing and Efecan Karaca slot into midfield to cover for key absentees.
Goztepe SK possible starting lineup:
Lis; Gunter, Heliton, Mputu; Sangare, Nielsen, Silva, Ildiz; Juan; Juan, Romulo
Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:
Taskiran; Hadergjonaj, Ceken, Lima, Ozdemir; Aksoy, Richard, Karaca; Lopes, Hwang, Christian
We say: Goztepe SK 3-1 Alanyaspor
Despite their recent setback, Goztepe enter this encounter as clear favourites, given their formidable home form, and are expected to overpower an Alanyaspor side that has struggled on the road, making a victory for Goz Goz the most likely outcome.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Adeyeye Oluwapelumi
