Round 24 of the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig campaign pits relegation candidates Hatayspor against mid-table Alanyaspor at the Mersin Stadyumu on Sunday evening.
Both teams came away empty-handed from their most recent outings, but while that was a seventh loss in eight matches for the home side, the visitors suffered only their first defeat in the last four games.
Match preview
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The alarm bells have long been ringing for Hatayspor this season, and with every passing matchday, their seemingly inevitable demotion to the second tier of Turkish football draws increasingly closer.
Friday's 2-0 defeat to Samsunspor saw Murat Sahin's men fail to find the back of the net for the first time in seven outings after going two goals down in a flash thanks to strikes from Marius and Zeki Yavru.
Unluckily for Guneyin Yildizi, the two teams right above them managed to pick up points from their respective last involvements, leaving them now a whopping 13 points shy of safety 14 games away from the conclusion of the season.
With games against several relegation-threatened sides on the horizon over the next two months, Hatayspor just about have a chance to rescue themselves, but the margin for error from here on out is critically little.
In a fixture that has produced three stalemates from the most recent three editions, Sunday's affair comes at a defining moment for the home side, who could really do with a first victory in front of their fans since the turn of the year.
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Alanyaspor have had a topsy-turvy start to 2025 after winning three of their opening six matches across all competitions, including a 5-4 thriller against Istanbul Basaksehir in what is arguably the game of the season so far.
Sami Ugurlu's men then cruised to a resounding 4-1 cup victory over lower league side Fatih Karagumruk before suffering a 2-0 defeat to title-chasing Fenerbahce at the GAIN Park Stadyumu on Sunday afternoon.
Continuing their recent trend of being defensively suspect in the first half, Simdekler were undone by strikes from Sebastian Szymanski and new arrival Anderson Talisca to snap the three-game winning run they had been on prior.
Alanyaspor are currently 11 points adrift of the final European spot at the moment, meaning that a push for continental football is highly unlikely, but they have an opportunity to finish the current campaign really strongly and set the tone for next season.
Sunday's clash is the fourth of a six-game this month for the visitors, who will take on Adana Demirspor and Ankaragucu in their final two outings of February, after which they get March underway against Caykur Rizespor.
Team News
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Turkish duo Kerim Alici and Kamil Corekci have missed each of Hatayspor's last three matches and are huge doubts to feature in this weekend's encounter.
Lamine Diack is also an injury concern for the home side, who, however, can call on the services of Francisco Calvo once again after he recently returned to action from a suspension.
Midfielders Richard and Yusuf Ozdemir are both ineligible to play any part for Alanyaspor in this one due to bans for an accumulation of yellow cards.
Twenty-two-year-old Buluthan Bulut is still battling with a knee issue and is also a guaranteed absentee for the away side here.
Hatayspor possible starting lineup:
Bekaj; Sertel, Calvo, Kilama, Yilmaz; Parmak, Matondo, Saglam; Fernandes, Abubakar, Boutobba
Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:
Karagoz; Hadergjonaj, Lima, Aliti, Balkovec; Makouta, Aksoy; Cordova, Karaca, Augusto; Hwang
We say: Hatayspor 0-1 Alanyaspor
Neither side have been free-scoring over the course of the campaign, and it would not be a surprise if Sunday serves up a drab affair.
That said, we are leaning towards a narrow win for the away side when all is said and done.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Adepoju Marvellous
