Antalyaspor will go in search of a seventh straight victory on Sunday, when they play host to Kayserispor.
An eye-catching run of form has seen the hosts climb up to eighth spot in the Turkish Super Lig table, now sitting just four points outside of the top four.
Match preview
After seemingly looking set for a low mid-table finish in the Turkish Super Lig, Antalyaspor have found an impressive run of form recently, having now won six consecutive league matches.
The Akrepler firstly bounced back from a defeat to league leaders Trabzonspor with consecutive 1-0 victories over Sivasspor and Istanbul Basaksehir before thrashing Giresunsor 4-1.
Wins over Altay and Hatayspor made it five on the bounce, before Nuri Sahin's side again extended their run with a 3-1 beating of Alanyaspor last time out, thanks to Haji Wright's opener and a brace from Gokdeniz Bayrakdar.
Such a streak has seen Antalyaspor move onto 53 points from their 33 league outings, now sitting eighth with fifth-placed Adana Demirspor only two points ahead and fourth-placed Istanbul Basaksehir just four points better off.
With five games to play, Sahin's men will aim to boost their outside chance of earning a European place with what would be a seventh straight three-point haul on Sunday.
They meet a travelling side who have far less to play for, with the visitors having all but confirmed their place in the top flight for next season.
With 38 points from 31 games, Kayserispor did still sit at risk of being dragged into the relegation mix in the final run of the season if the bottom sides were able to turn their form around, but they have since moved away from the threat with back-to-back positive results in the Super Lig.
Hikmet Karaman's side firstly arrested a slump with a 2-1 away win over Goztepe SK, thanks to goals from Emrah Bassan and Olivier Kemen, before Bassan equalised in the 77th minute of their meeting with Caykur Rizespor to see that game finish 1-1.
As a result, the Anadolu Yildizi now sit 12 points clear of the drop zone with five games to play, meaning their survival is bound to be confirmed in the coming games, while they will also be partially focussed on a Turkish Cup semi-final tie with top-flight leaders Trabzonspor.
Having narrowly lost the away leg 1-0 last time out after a commendable effort, Karaman's side still have a chance of reaching the final, and they will aim to build confidence ahead of their home game, while also boosting their league position, with what would be an eye-catching win at the weekend.
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Team News
Antalyaspor have several injury issues to deal with, as Ufuk Akyol, Harun Alpsoy, Admir Mehmedi and Sinan Gumus are all set to continue spells on the sidelines.
Sahin has little reason to make too many changes to his side, given their strong run of form, and we could see an unchanged starting XI on Sunday.
That is bound to include attacker Haji Wright, who has scored five goals in their last five league games.
Captain Bernard Mensah remains a big miss for Kayserispor, having been absent since October after making a productive start to the campaign.
Abdulkadir Parmak is also ruled out, with the Trabzonspor loanee set to miss the rest of the season.
Mario Gavranovic will be vying for a return to the starting XI, with the Swiss international leading the squad for league goals with 10 this term.
Antalyaspor possible starting lineup:
Boffin; Balci, Sari, Kudryashov, Vural; Fernando, Ozmert; Bayrakdar, Adriano, Sinik; Wright
Kayserispor possible starting lineup:
Lung; Bulut, Cetin, Hosseini, Carole; Campanharo, Attamah, Kemen; Bassan, Gavranovic, Thiam
We say: Antalyaspor 3-1 Kayserispor
The hosts come into the game with plenty of momentum given their run of form, and we do not see Sahin's men being derailed on Sunday.
They suddenly have the chance to earn European qualification if this run continues, while their visitors may be more focussed on their ongoing cup tie, considering their position in the division.
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 Antalyaspor win with a probability of 64.7%. A draw had a probability of 21.1% and a win for Kayserispor had a probability of 14.17%.
The most likely scoreline for an Antalyaspor win was 1-0 with a probability of 13%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (12.53%) and 2-1 (9.63%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10%), while for a Kayserispor win it was 0-1 (5.19%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 10% likelihood.
