Gaziantep, who currently sit in 16th place, will welcome 13th-placed Trabzonspor to the Gaziantep Stadyumu on Monday for their matchday six clash in the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig season.
The hosts have won one and lost three of their opening four fixtures, while the visitors have remarkably drawn all of their first four league matches.
Match preview
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After kicking off the season with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Bodrum on the opening day, courtesy of a 97th-minute winner from Enric Saborit, Gaziantep have struggled to build on that result in their subsequent outings.
They fell to a 1-0 defeat to Samsunspor on matchday two before conceding three goals in each of their next two matches, losing 3-2 to Sivasspor and 3-1 to Galatasaray.
The hosts seemed to comfortably secure a mid-table finish, placing 11th last year, but they were only four points clear of the relegation zone, a margin they will look to widen this campaign as they aim to extend their stay in the top flight to seven consecutive seasons.
Selcuk Inan's side have struggled against Trabzonspor in recent meetings, not recording a victory in any of their last 11 encounters across all competitions, with seven defeats in that time.
Trabzonspor will be far from pleased with their own difficulties at the start of the 2024-25 campaign, winning just two of their first 10 fixtures across all competitions.
Having finished third last season, earning them a chance to qualify for European football, Black Sea Storm have already been eliminated from both the Europa League, following a 3-0 loss to Rapid Wien in the third qualifying round, and the Europa Conference League, losing 5-4 on penalties to St Gallen after a 1-1 aggregate draw in the playoff round.
Senol Gunes's men have also struggled in the early stages of the Turkish Super Lig, remarkably drawing all four of their opening matches, leaving them in 13th place with four points and as the only team yet to record a win or a loss.
Late goals in the 89th and 98th minutes helped Trabzonspor come from behind to secure a 2-2 draw with Kayserispor in their last outing, a result that could boost their confidence as they look to claim their first win of the league campaign on Monday.
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Team News
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Gaziantep are anticipated to continue without the services of both Mustafa Eskihellac and Quentin Daubin, with the pair still on the road to recovery after recent injuries.
Despite narrowly losing 3-2 to Sivasspor a fortnight ago, Inan could name a similar lineup on Monday after a largely positive showing in that game.
As for the visitors, Stefan Savic could join Simon Banza and Enis Destan on the treatment table after the defender was forced off in the 14th minute of their eventual draw last time out.
Edin Visca will also remain unavailable due to picking up a straight red card just 13 minutes into their 0-0 draw with Besiktas, meaning Cihan Canak could retain his place in the front line.
Gaziantep possible starting lineup:
Dioudis; Ersoy, Viana, Saborit, Tasdemir; Lungoyi, Ozcicek, Mandouki, Maxim, Okereke; Kodro
Trabzonspor possible starting lineup:
Cakir; Malheiro, Tufan, Denswil, Elmali; Yokuslu, Mendy; Canak, Bardhi, Orsic; Dragus
We say: Gaziantep 1-2 Trabzonspor
While the visitors have drawn all of their first four league fixtures, the hosts are enduring a barren spell across all competitions, suggesting Trabzonspor may win here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
