Both Giresunspor and Kasimpasa enter Sunday's clash on the back of positive victories in the Turkish Super Lig, but both sides remain in the fight for survival and this weekend's match-up could prove to be a decisive one come the end of the season.
The home team are currently sitting more comfortably in 14th spot than Kasimpasa, who are 17th but only behind Goztepe in 16th on goal difference, after their first set of back-to-back wins lifted them up the table.
Match preview
Giresunspor had a fantastic few weeks between November and December when they recorded three wins back-to-back, but after that their form dipped again and they lost three of their next four league matches.
However, Hakan Keles's side held on to Magomed Suleymanov's 11th-minute strike last time out to secure a vital 1-0 victory against struggling giants Galatasaray on Saturday.
The visitors on that day did really have to stay strong defensively to earn their three points as Galatasaray put on the pressure and created many chances, but that win has gone a long way to nearly dragging Giresunspor out of the relegation fight.
Now sitting seven points above 17th spot, Keles's side need to capitalise on that by continuing to pick up points which will guide them to safety, and a win this weekend will be crucial as it would put the home team 10 points clear of Kasimpasa.
Excluding the Turkish Super Lig's top two, Giresunspor have the next best defensive record, having only conceded 19 goals in 20 matches, and that has given them a much better goal difference than the teams around them in the table, and that could be pivotal for their end position.
Kasimpasa only won twice in their first 18 Super Lig matches this season, but a 3-1 victory against Hatayspor last time out means that they recorded back-to-back wins for the first time this campaign.
Valentin Eysseric and Umut Bozok gave Kasimpasa the perfect start as they found themselves 2-0 ahead within 15 minutes against the sixth-placed side, and Michal Travnik added a third in the second half to ensure that Hatayspor's single strike was only a consolation.
These consecutive victories in the league sandwiched a triumph in the Turkish Cup at the end of December, and three wins in a row should give Kasimpasa the confidence to take another three points this weekend.
Ozgur Ocal has clearly had a positive impact as acting head coach in the Kasimpasa camp, with the former assistant manager remaining unbeaten in his first four games after taking over from Hakan Kutlu at the end of December.
Kasimpasa are looking to complete the league double over Giresunspor, having won 2-0 earlier in the season thanks to goals from Nicolai Jorgensen and Bozok.
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Team News
Hamidou Traore and Souleymane Doukara are currently away on international duty in the Africa Cup of Nations and so will be absent from Giresunspor's squad on Sunday.
Emre Tasdemir and Erol Akdag are sidelined due to injuries, but the home side could select an unchanged starting 11 to the team that beat Galatasaray last time out.
Ibrahima Balde is likely to lead the line as a sole striker for Giresunspor, looking to add to his three league goals this campaign, while Serginho and Suleymanov will provide the width from the right and left wings.
Kasimpasa's Jeffrey Bruma is nearing a return to action having been sidelined since December with a foot injury, while winger Nabil Dirar is also expected to miss out with an injury and his return date is still unknown.
Eysseric was forced off in the 34th minute against Kayserispor after he had given his side the lead due to an injury, but he could still be included in the matchday squad.
Giresunspor possible starting lineup:
Kocuk; Behich, Perez, Picinciol, Bilazer; Pelupessy; Serginho, Flavio, Yavru, Suleymanov; Balde
Kasimpasa possible starting lineup:
Taskiran; Elmali, Brecka, Serbset, Hadergjonaj; Haspolat; Engin, Travnik, Hajradinovic, Ouannes; Bozok
We say: Giresunspor 1-1 Kasimpasa
Both teams will enter this encounter with confidence after positive victories, which could mean that they cancel each other out on the day and the spoils are shared between them.
Kasimpasa's winning run is going to come to an end at some point and after beating Galatasaray, Giresunspor will not want to follow that up with a defeat to a team below them.
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 Giresunspor win with a probability of 52.53%. A draw had a probability of 24.8% and a win for Kasimpasa had a probability of 22.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a Giresunspor win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.05%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.79%) and 2-1 (9.56%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.76%), while for a Kasimpasa win it was 0-1 (7.24%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with a 3.5% likelihood.
