Hatayspor and Antalyaspor will go head-to-head at Mersin Stadium on Saturday, with both teams desperate for a result to boost their survival hopes in the Turkish Super Lig.
The hosts are firmly entrenched in the bottom four, sitting second from bottom with just 10 points, while the visitors are only six points above the relegation zone in 14th place.
Match preview
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Murat Sahin endured a dramatic first defeat as Hatayspor manager, an enthralling 5-4 defeat at Kasimpasa last Monday—one of the wildest encounters in recent memory.
Despite being reduced to 10 men in the eighth minute when Francisco Calvo saw red, Hatayspor remarkably took a two-goal lead by the 20th minute – however, Kasimpasa fought back to level the score by the 39th minute before a stoppage-time penalty gave Sahin's men a 3-2 halftime advantage.
The second half saw yet another twist, with the game back on level terms by the 53rd minute, before Hatayspor regained the lead in the 58th minute but ultimately succumbed to two late goals, falling to a heartbreaking defeat.
While the performance—like the recent draw against Galatasaray—offered encouragement, Sahin knows his side must start turning positive displays into results, with the Star of the South now winless in nine consecutive league games, and just one victory in 20 Super Lig outings this season.
Sitting 11 points adrift of safety, Hatayspor will be desperate to start picking up much-needed wins, beginning with Saturday's clash – however, history is not on their side, as they are winless in their last seven competitive meetings against Antalyaspor, losing the last two, including a 3-2 defeat in the reverse fixture.
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Meanwhile, Antalyaspor will look to extend their strong record against Hatayspor, having won five of the last seven competitive encounters.
However, the Scorpions have struggled in recent weeks, prompting the club to part ways with Alex and appoint former Fenerbahce caretaker boss Emre Belozoglu on January 14.
The managerial change has yet to yield results, with Antalyaspor failing to win under Belozoglu so far, following up a 1-0 defeat to Goztepe with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Besiktas, extending their winless run to five matches.
A major concern for Antalyaspor has been their poor away form – the Scorpions have collected just five points from a possible 30 on the road, compared to 17 from the same number of games at home, while they have also lost each of their last three away fixtures.
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Team News
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Hatayspor will be without Calvo, who is suspended following his red card last time out, and Burak Yilmaz is expected to replace him in central defence.
Kamil Corekci and Kerim Alici remain sidelined through injury, which could see Rigoberto Rivas fill in as a makeshift right-back.
Jonathan Okoronkwo is also unavailable due to a lack of match fitness, but Lamine Diack is set to return to the starting XI after serving his suspension.
For Antalyaspor, Erdogan Yesilyurt and Emre Uzun have both suffered cruciate ligament tears and will miss the remainder of the season.
Soner Dikmen and Burak Ingenc are also ruled out through injury, while Moussa Djenepo is a doubt for this fixture.
Hatayspor possible starting lineup:
Bekaj; Rivas, Ylmaz, Kilama, Sertel; Parmak, Diack, Saglam; Boutobba, Aboubakar, Fernandes
Antalyaspor possible starting lineup:
Piric; Vural, Sari, Ozturk, Balci; Rakip, Kaluzinski; Streek, Larsson, Townsend; Samudio
We say: Hatayspor 1-0 Antalyaspor
Hatayspor's struggles and Antalyaspor's poor away form make this a tough call – however, with the desperation for points on the home side and their recent performances, we expect them to edge what will likely be a cagey affair.
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