Both looking to secure only their second victories of the term after less-than-ideal starts, Alanyaspor meet with Fatih Karagumruk at Kirbiyik Holding Stadium on Friday night in the Turkish Super Lig.
The hosts have lost back-to-back games most recently and are slowly slipping down the standings, whereas Fatih have failed to win since the opening weeks of the campaign.
Match preview
After a narrow 1-0 loss to title contenders Fenerbahce a fortnight ago, Alanyaspor suffered their heaviest defeat of the term to date at the home of Adana Demirspor last Sunday, losing 4-0 in underwhelming fashion.
The visitors on the day were unable to control the talents of former Manchester City and Italy striker Mario Balotelli, with the once-controversial forward bagging a brace within 50 minutes, before second-half strikes from Younes Belhanda and Tayfun Aydogan condemned Alanyaspor to their second loss of the league term.
Omer Erdogan's men commenced their 2023-24 campaign with a promising 2-0 success over Istanbul Basaksehir on the opening day on August 14, but since then, Friday's hosts have endured a six-game winless streak, eliminating any faint hopes that the club could challenge in the upper echelons of the division this season.
Alanyaspor are currently 13th in the Super Lig standings having collected seven points from as many contests, and a victory in this match would see them climb as high as ninth before the term's second international break arrives to halt league action.
Erdogan's side have only managed to make the net ripple on six occasions this term and three of those finishes have been provided by midfielder Joao Novais, who joined the club following an interesting one-season spell at Al Bataeh of the United Arab Emirates.
Weirdly enough, Fatih Karagumruk's only win of the season far also came against Basaksehir, and since that 2-0 victory on August 20 the club have been competitive in each of their five matches, although they have been unable to collect maximum points.
Last time out saw the Black Red come out on the losing end of a five-goal thriller with Kasimpasa at Ataturk Olimpiyat Stadium, with a brilliant brace from the visitors' Aytac Kara in the first half ultimately proving the difference last weekend.
Alparslan Erdem's side found themselves three goals behind after just 34 minutes in their last match, despite conceding a total of three times in their previous four contests combined, meaning last weekend's defensive performance is certainly out of character.
A record of six points from their opening seven Super Lig matches leaves Fatih in 15th place as they head towards October's international break, with 17th-placed Pendikspor just two points behind in the highest of the relegation spots.
Fatih have failed to beat Alanyaspor in their last four meetings in Turkey's top flight, although the replica of this fixture was season saw a share of the spoils after a Fabio Borini brace rescued a point for Andrea Pirlo's side in Alanya during January of this year.
Team News
Alanyaspor are expected to be without the services of 33-year-old goalkeeper Ertugrul Taskiran, with the veteran stopper still recovering from a head injury suffered in late September.
That absence has led to Yusuf Karagoz starting the club's last two Super Lig matches, and the 23-year-old will play once again on Friday night when he looks to record his maiden clean sheet of the term.
Changes in attacking areas could be in order for Alanyaspor after such a gutless performance last time out, meaning the likes of Carlos Eduardo and Anderson could be set for starting berths.
Fatih were much improved against Kasimpasa after a disastrous opening 30 minutes, with Can Keles and Marcus Rohden both unlikely to start this match following their early substitutions last time out.
The introductions of Nazim Sangare and Valentin Eysseric helped Erdem's side fight for a point in the end, and both could be rewarded with rare starts on Friday night.
The visitors will be hoping Kevin Lasagna can make a speedy return to fitness after missing the game last weekend, with the Italian on loan from Serie A club Hellas Verona for the 2023-24 term.
Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:
Karagoz; Augusto, Bayir, Aliti; Ozdemir; Richard, Janvier; Karaca, Novais, Aydin; Cordova
Fatih Karagumruk possible starting lineup:
Dituro; Veseli, Biraschi, Ceccherini, Mercan; Feghouli, Shukurov; Eduardo, Anderson, Yalcin; Dursun
We say: Alanyaspor 1-1 Fatih Karagumruk
Since winning on the opening day of the Super Lig season, Alanyaspor have struggled to pick up regular points, and we feel this theme will continue on Friday night.
Fatih showed their relative powers of recovery last time out against Kasimpasa, and an improved second-half performance in that game could give them enough momentum to earn a point here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Carter White
