In a clash that could impact the race for European football and the relegation battle in the Turkish Super Lig, Istanbul Basaksehir are set to host Sivasspor at Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium on Monday.
The home side are seventh with 33 points and were beaten 1-0 by Bodrumspor in their last league game on February 15, while the away team are fifth last in 15th place with 24 points and were held to a 1-1 stalemate by 14th-placed Konyaspor on February 22.
Match preview
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Istanbul Basaksehir failed to create meaningful opportunities against Bodrumspor, with their three shots on target totalling just 0.12 xG.
The hosts also failed to find the back of the net against Eyupspor on Thursday in the Turkish Cup, meaning they have not scored for three consecutive games.
Boss Cagdas Atan's side have fallen away in the race for Europe given they are 11 points behind fourth-placed Besiktas, who occupy the division's Conference League qualification spot and have played an additional game, but they do face their Besiktas on April 12 and could close the gap should they win.
The Grey Owls are in mixed form having lost two, drawn one and won two of their last five league outings, but though they have not scored in their past two top-flight matches, they did find the back of the net 10 times in their prior three.
It should be noted that Atan's team have been strong at home considering they have only succumbed to defeat twice in their 12 Super Liga games at at Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium this term, achieving victory on six occasions.
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The visitors come into the clash having played out a dull draw with Konyaspor, a game in which Sivasspor produced one big chance which was the only one either side created during the course of the 90 minutes.
Sivasspor were beaten 1-0 by Bodrumspor themselves on Tuesday in the Turkish Cup, which means they have now lost five of their last six in all competitions, failing to score four times in that period.
The Braves were also beaten 2-1 by Istanbul Basaksehir in the reverse fixture on September 29, and they can have few complaints with the result given the victors created five big chances compare to their total of one.
Manager Omer Erdogan will know that his team cannot afford to keep losing considering they are only one place above the relegation zone, as well as the fact that they are level on points with both 16th-placed Bodrumspor and 17th-placed Kayserispor.
Sivasspor fans will be concerned about Monday's match as their side have been defeated in seven of their eight most recent games away from home, conceding 19 goals while only scoring six times.
Team News
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Istanbul Basaksehir centre-back Jerome Opoku was sent off against Bodrumspor and will not be available, and he may be replaced in the middle of a back three by Hamza Gureler.
Wing-back Festy Ebosele is likely to be sidelined until the middle of March as a result of a knee injury, so expect Yusuf Sari and Deniz Turuc to be stationed in wide positions.
Midfielders Omer Ali Sahiner, Berat Ayberk Ozdemir and Umut Gunes may be selected to play considering Onur Ergun has been ruled out.
Opponents Sivasspor will not be able to start centre-back Uros Radakovic, who was sent off against Konyaspor, while fellow centre-back Mehmet Albayrak will not return to action until August.
Emirhan Basyigit is a possible candidate to partner Samba Camara in the heart of defence, and they may be protected by a double pivot consisting of Charis Charisis and Samuel Moutoussamy.
Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:
Sengezer; Duarte, Gureler, Lima; Sari, Sahiner, Ozdemir, Gunes, Turuc; Piatek, Keny
Sivasspor possible starting lineup:
Vural; Paluli, Basyigit, Camara, Erdal; Charisis, Moutoussamy; Bassan, Bekiroglu, Simic; Koita
We say: Istanbul Basaksehir 2-1 Sivasspor
Both sides are in poor form and are set to be without key defenders, so it is difficult to see either team keeping a clean sheet.
However, Istanbul Basaksehir's home record is strong despite their subpar performances in recent weeks, while Sivasspor have struggled on the road, and that should make the hosts favourites on Monday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Lewis Nolan
