Two sides separated by just one point in the bottom half of the Super Lig table go head to head on Wednesday as Hatayspor play host to Gaziantep at the Mersin Stadium.
While the Star of the South will be looking to end their run of six league games without a win, the visitors set out in search of a second consecutive away victory for the first time this season.
Match preview
Despite kicking off the campaign with much promise and going unbeaten in their opening eight matches, Hatayspor find themselves hovering just above the relegation zone after a tough end to the year.
Volkan Demirel's men failed to win any of their last five league outings in 2023, picking up two draws and losing three, including a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Besiktas on Christmas Day.
A lack of incisiveness in attack has coincided with their poor run of form and this was highlighted in their first outing of the new year as they fell to a 2-0 loss against Caykur Rizespor.
None of the Star of the South's 16 shots managed to hit the target at the Caykur Didi Stadium as Dal Varesanovic and Ibrahim Olawoyin scored in either half to hand the hosts a comfortable victory last Saturday.
Hatayspor, who have now scored just one goal in their last four matches — having netted nine in the four games preceding this run — are currently 15th in the Super Lig table, just one point above the relegation zone.
Gaziantep, on the other hand, were left spitting feathers in their first match of the year as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Pendikspor after throwing away a two-goal lead in the final 13 minutes of the game.
Goals from Denis Dragus and Ogun Ozcicek put Gaziantep in a commanding two-goal lead but Erdem Ozgenc and Erencan Yardimci scored in a three-minute spell to force a share of the spoils at the Gaziantep Stadium.
Prior to that, Marius Sumudica's side snapped their four-match winless run in the league on December 23 when they stormed to a 3-0 victory over Fatih Karagumruk at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.
However, the draw against Pendikspor means that Gaziantep have now gone three consecutive league games without defeat for the first time since August 2022, when they kicked off the 2022-23 campaign with three wins and one draw in the opening four games.
The Gaziantep-based outfit have now picked up six wins and two draws in their 18 Super Lig games to collect 20 points and sit 14th in the table, level with Istanbul Basaksehir and Ankaragucu.
They will be backing themselves to return to winning ways on Wednesday as they take on an opposing side against whom they are unbeaten in five of their last six meetings in the league, claiming three wins and two draws since January 2021.
Team News
Hatayspor remain without French midfielder Mehdi Boudjemaa, who continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury back in July.
He is joined in the club's injury table by 27-year-old forward Didier Lamkel Ze, who has missed the last five matches after coming off with a muscle problem against Antalyaspor on December 1.
As for Gaziantep, Sumudica will be unable to name the midfield duo of Max Gradel and Janio Bikel, who are currently away on international duty with Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau respectively.
Turkish defender Ulas Zengin has been out of action since last July through a severe injury and the 26-year-old will also play no part in the midweek clash.
With his opener against Pendikspor last time out, summer signing Dragus now has seven goals and one assist in 14 league games and we expect the Standard Liege loanee to lead the visitors' attack once again.
Hatayspor possible starting lineup:
Kardesler; Alici, Bekaroglu, Maksimovic, Ghoulam; Saglam, Aburjania; Hodzic, Dele-Bashiru, Beyaz; Strandberg
Gaziantep possible starting lineup:
Nita; Eskihellac, Kizildag, N'Koulou, Cihan, M'Bakata; Markovic, Ozcicek, Jevtovic, Maxim; Dragus
We say: Hatayspor 1-1 Gaziantep
While the last five meetings between Hatayspor and Gaziantep have produced a combined 18 goals, we anticipate a cagey affair at the Mersin Stadium on Wednesday. Despite their recent struggles, Hatayspor have lost just two home games since January 2023 and we predict that they will hold out for a share of the spoils.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
