Istanbulspor play host to Alanyaspor on Sunday looking for the win which will move them to the brink of getting out of the Super Lig relegation zone.
At a time when the home side occupy 18th place in the table, Alanyaspor are in ninth spot, but 13 points adrift of the top six.
Match preview
For much of the season, Istanbulspor have been cut adrift in the relegation zone and looking likely to return to the second tier at the first time of asking.
However, collecting 10 points from their last seven matches has changed that perception, Fatih Tekke's side now sitting just three points adrift of safety.
The third win of their recent upturn in results came at Konyaspor last time out, an own goal in the second half ensuring that Istanbulspor prevailed by a 1-0 scoreline.
To their credit, Istanbulspor's away form has been considerably better than their results at the Necmi Kadioglu Stadium, where they have recorded just five points from nine outings.
That said, all but one of those points have been accumulated from the last three fixtures, the solitary success coming against 13th-placed Kasimpasa on December 28.
From the perspective of Alanyaspor, they had been pushing to cement their place in the top half of the table until experiencing a three-game winless spell.
Their last two fixtures have ended in 3-0 defeats, the second of those being alarming to Francesco Farioli given that it was at home to relegation-threatened Sivasspor.
Although the recent 5-0 thrashing of Trabzonspor has not quite been forgotten just yet, it now feels irrelevant with regards to momentum, and Farioli is aware that a third loss in succession will pull the club into a relegation scrap.
In the reverse fixture back in August, Istanbulspor emerged victorious by a 1-0 scoreline, Valon Ethemi netting one of his eight league goals for the season.
Team News
Barring any injury issues, Istanbulspor could line up with the same starting lineup with recent arrival Emeka Eze leading the attack.
Adi Mehremic helped his team see out the 1-0 win at Konyaspor, but the centre-back is unlikely to earn a recall after being dropped from the previous game.
Farioli will likely make alterations to his Alanyaspor side, however, with Fatih Aksoy in line to return to the back three or a defensive-midfield role.
Umut Gunes's spot is at risk on the back of errors made versus Sivasspor, while Ivan Cavaleiro is pushing for an opportunity in the final third.
Istanbulspor possible starting lineup:
Jensen; Duhaney, Erdogan, Yesil, Aksu; Lokilo, Sarikaya, Ba, Rroca, Ethemi; Eze
Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:
Runarsson; Aksoy, Fer, Balkovec; Pereira, Gunes, Doumbia, Ferhat; Karaca, Cavaleiro; Koka
We say: Istanbulspor 1-1 Alanyaspor
Despite the difference in league positions, the lower team is in the better form and has home advantage. With that in mind, we feel that Istanbulspor will do enough to earn a share of the spoils, a result which would not necessarily benefit either side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Darren Plant
