Aiming to keep hold of their place in the top six of the Turkish Super Lig table, Alanyaspor will play host to already-relegated Yeni Malatyaspor on Sunday.
Three consecutive defeats have seen the hosts drop out of the top four, and they now lead seventh place by just one point with four games to go.
Match preview
Having enjoyed a strong season in the Turkish Super Lig, Alanyaspor sat in the top four with 52 points from 31 outings after picking up four wins from a span of five games.
They have since seen their form take a sharp dip, though, with that run brought to an abrupt end as they suffered 4-1 and 3-1 defeats to Besiktas and Antalyaspor respectively.
Francesco Farioli's side then took on Sivasspor in the first leg of their Turkish Cup semi-final tie, and, after a 2-1 home defeat, they made the trip to take on the same opponents in league action last weekend.
In that game, Faycal Fajr hit the only goal to seal all three points for the hosts, meaning Alanyaspor have now lost their last three league matches and their last four games in all competitions.
Such a dip has seen them drop quickly from fourth to sixth spot, and, with Besiktas now only a point behind, they will be desperate to correct their form at the weekend to keep themselves in the top six at least.
Sunday could present a good opportunity to do so, as basement side Yeni Malatyaspor arrive in a dismal run of form, having already been condemned to relegation.
A 17-game winless run in the top flight between October and February all but sealed the visitors' fate, and while they were able to stop the rot with an impressive win over Adana Demirspor, they have since entered another poor run of form.
Following that triumph, the Malatya outfit have suffered six straight league defeats, confirming their drop to the second tier as they now sit on just 20 points from 34 outings.
The basement side did battle commendably at home to third-placed Konyaspor last time out, though, as Benjamin Tetteh and Nouha Dicko found the net in an eventual 3-2 defeat, after they were reduced to 10 men inside the first 20 minutes.
Yeni Malatyaspor, who are currently without a permanent manager, will be pleased with their efforts in that game and will now look to end the season on a more positive note before bowing out of the division.
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Team News
Alanyaspor come into the game without Efecan Karaca, who will serve a suspension, while key forward Famara Diedhiou is sidelined through injury.
In his absence, Wilson Eduardo should again lead the line, while experienced midfielder Leroy Fer will anchor in the engine room.
Centre-back Chidozie Awaziem could be in line for a start after he replaced Fatih Aksoy at half time last time out.
Yeni Malatyaspor are unlikely to make many changes after their valiant effort last time out, although centre-back Gaston Campi will have to be replaced after his red card, while winger Mustafa Eskihellac is also suspended.
Benjamin Tetteh will continue to lead the line, after netting his seventh league goal of the season in that game, while former Wolverhampton Wanderers attacker Nouha Dicko also added to his tally and will again feature on the wing.
Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:
Marafona; Juanfran, Awaziem, Milunovic, Borja; Fer; Candeias, Novais, Akbaba, Bingol; Eduardo
Yeni Malatyaspor possible starting lineup:
Damlu; Ozer, Basdas, Awuku, Hafez; Okechukwu, Donsah; Dicko, Cagiran, Osman; Tetteh
We say: Alanyaspor 2-1 Yeni Malatyaspor
With Alanyaspor in a rut and Yeni Malatyaspor playing with freedom following their relegation, we do not expect a thrashing like the league table would suggest.
That being said, we do ultimately see the hosts outclassing their visitors with the need to keep the chasing pack at bay.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Alanyaspor win with a probability of 63.62%. A draw had a probability of 19.8% and a win for Yeni Malatyaspor had a probability of 16.58%.
The most likely scoreline for an Alanyaspor win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.9%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.88%) and 1-0 (9.18%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (9.2%), while for a Yeni Malatyaspor win it was 1-2 (4.61%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 9.9% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted a 2-1 win for Alanyaspor in this match.
