Adana Demirspor host Gaziantep at the 5 Ocak Fatih Terim Stadyumu on Sunday afternoon in a game that holds huge stakes in the ongoing relegation battle in the Turkish Super Lig.
The home side are nine points clear of the drop zone and 11 behind the top four, leaving them destined to compete at this level again next season, while the visitors are currently 17th and two points from safety.
Match preview
After finishing fourth last term Adana Demirspor's season has been far from what the majority of people would have expected, with a poor run of two wins in 19 matches between November and mid-March seeing them fall away from the top four and into the middle of the table.
That run saw the dismissal of manager Patrick Kluivert with Serkan Damla then taking charge of seven matches before the eventual hiring of the current boss Hikmet Karaman.
Unfortunately for Adana Demirspor, those managerial changes have done little to improve their form, managing just three victories in the 15 games under the guidance of Karaman after being hired in January.
A major reason for their struggles throughout this term has been their failure to win on the road, taking one win, 10 draws and seven losses away from home.
Their record in their own ground has been much stronger, taking the seventh most points of any side when playing at home, and that will give them confidence coming into this one.
Adana Demirspor will be looking to pick up their first back-to-back victories since October in this one as they hope to push up the table, with eyes set on sixth-placed Alanyaspor, who currently hold a five-point lead.
As for the visitors, they have found themselves in the relegation battle for the entirety of the season and currently occupy 17th place with just three games left to save their status in the top flight.
Highly important fixtures in the fight for survival follow their trip to face Adana Demirspor as they come up against 15th-placed Fatih Karagumruk and 19th-placed Pendikspor.
Those two games could determine who survives and who is relegated come the end of the campaign, but this upcoming match could serve as a huge opportunity for Gaziantep to get a headstart and move out of the relegation zone before the final two outings.
Gaziantep have performed well in this fixture in recent times, securing a point in each of the last two meetings, but losses in five of their last six away matches coming into this one leaves them in poor form.
Team News
The hosts are set to be without no fewer than seven players when they play host to Gaziantep on Sunday.
Emre Akbaba, Yusuf Sari, Semih Guler, Youcef Atal, Jose Rodriguez and Vedat Karakus are all out with injuries.
Nani has also been banished to the reserves for unknown reasons and is not expected to feature here.
As for the visitors, they will also be without up to four of their own for this one.
Bryan Acosta, Ulas Zengin and Marko Jevtovic are all out through injury, while Arda Kizildag is suspended.
Alexandru Maxim will give his side a boost as he is expected to return to the starting lineup after completing his suspension in the previous outing.
Adana Demirspor possible starting lineup:
Mahammadaliyev; Cokcalis, Manev, Gravillon, Mohammadi; Mendoza, Maestro, Michut, Erdogan; Barasi, Balotelli
Gaziantep possible starting lineup:
Nita; Artan, Djilobodji, Ersoy, M'Bakata; Maxim, Monteiro, Nkoulou; Sorescu, Dragus, Eskihellac
We say: Adana Demirspor 2-1 Gaziantep
The hosts may not be enjoying the best run of form coming into this game but with them being much more impressive at home throughout this season, while Gaziantep have struggled on the road, we believe Adana Demirspor will win this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
