Kayserispor will aim to strengthen their Turkish Super Lig survival hopes when they face bottom side Adana Demirspor on Friday.
The visitors secured a morale-boosting 5-0 victory over fellow strugglers Hatayspor last time out but remain in the relegation zone.
Match preview
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Sergej Jakirovic enjoyed an impressive start to life at Kayserispor, but his side stumbled before the international break, losing twice in three matches and halving their progress in the battle to beat the drop.
The break appeared to work wonders for the Anatolian Star, who claimed a crucial victory in their relegation six-pointer against Hatayspor last Friday, ensuring they remained level on 30 points with Sivasspor, the first team outside the drop zone, though Kayserispor have played one game fewer.
Facing the bottom two in successive weeks presents a golden opportunity for the Kayseri side to gain a foothold in the survival race, and with fixtures against title contenders Fenerbahce and Galatasaray, as well as Samsunspor, still to come, they must capitalise on these winnable encounters.
Under Jakirovic, the visitors have built their resurgence on strong home form, winning all four home matches since his appointment – however, their away struggles continue, with two defeats and a draw in three matches on the road under the Bosnian coach.
Friday's clash poses a tricky challenge given their poor away record and the fact that they have failed to beat Adana in their last three meetings, all of which ended in draws, with the last two encounters resulting in goalless stalemates.
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Meanwhile, Adana Demirspor have little to lose, as their relegation is all but confirmed, and this has given head coach Mustafa Avci the freedom to experiment in recent weeks.
However, his latest tactical adjustment backfired spectacularly, with ADS suffering an embarrassing 5-1 defeat to Sivasspor, a performance starkly contrasted with their recent spirited displays.
The Blue Lightnings will look to bounce back in front of their home fans, drawing encouragement from recent results at home, where they have held Antalyaspor and Bodrumspor to draws.
Although this season presents a different challenge, Adana can take confidence from their past home performances against Kayserispor in the top flight, having won one and drawn two of their three meetings.
Team News
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Adana Demirspor will be without forward Abat Aymbetov and Nabil Alioui, who are both sidelined through injury.
However, they will be boosted by the return of Abdulsamet Burak from suspension, with the midfielder expected to slot straight back into the starting XI.
Kayserispor will be without Julian Jeanvier, Hasan Ali Kaldirim and Anthony Uzodimma, all of whom remain sidelined with injuries.
Ramazan Civelek impressed on the right flank against Hatayspor, scoring a goal, and is expected to retain his starting spot ahead of Carlos Mane.
Adana Demirspor possible starting lineup:
Karakus; Burak, Ersoy, Kalender, Kurtulan; Maestro, Celik, Aydogan; Kol, Fougeu, Kavrazil
Kayserispor possible starting lineup:
Bayazit; Sazdagi, Hosseini, Attamah, Carole; Karimi, Yilmaz; Civelek, Bourabia, Cardoso; Bahoken
We say: Adana Demirspor 1-2 Kayserispor
Kayserispor are a team on a mission and head into this clash with greater motivation than Adana, which could prove decisive despite their struggles on the road under Jakirovic.
With only pride at stake, Adana's unpredictability could pose a threat, but they often lack the cutting edge to capitalise, and their defence can, at times, be worryingly flat.
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