The action continues in round 15 of the Super Lig as Istanbulspor and Alanyaspor go head to head in a bottom-of-the-table clash at the Necmi Kadioglu Sports Complex on Sunday.
Having struggled to steady their ship this season, both sides will head into the weekend looking to get one over the other and kick-start their surge from the doldrums.
Match preview
Istanbulspor were sent crashing back to earth last Friday as they suffered a 3-0 thrashing against Fatih Karagumruk when the sides squared off at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.
Goalkeeper David Jensen scored an own goal on the stroke of half time to set the home side on their way as Ryan Mendes and Can Keles scored second-half goals to cap off a brilliant team performance.
This was a far cry from their promising performance on November 25 when they beat Hatayspor 2-1 to record just their second win of the season thanks to goals in either half from Florian Loshaj and Mendy Mamadou.
Hakan Yakin's men have now lost 10 of their 14 league matches this season and this has been owing to their struggles at the defensive end of the pitch, where they shipped the second-most goals so far (26).
Istanbulspor are also the division's worst side on the road, losing six and picking up one draw in their seven away matches this season to collect just one point from a possible 21.
Alanyaspor, on the other hand, booked their spot in round five of the Turkish Cup on Tuesday when they held their own to see out a 1-0 victory over second-tier outfit Kocaelispor at the Bahcesehir Okullari Arena.
Former Karagumruk man Jure Balkovec grabbed the headlines as he netted the only goal of the game midway through the first half to fire the home side into the next round, where they have been drawn against Samsunspor.
Manager Fatih Tekke will hope that the midweek result can serve as a catalyst for a fine run of form as Alanyaspor now turn their attention to the Super Lig, where they are currently on a six-match losing streak, picking up just one point in that time.
Like Istanbulspor, Alanyaspor have managed just two wins in their 14 league matches, most recently a 2-1 victory over Karagumruk at home on October 6, and are yet to taste victory on the road this season.
With 11 points from 14 matches, the Alanya outfit are currently 19th in the Super Lig standings, two points above this weekend's hosts, who are currently rooted to the bottom of the table.
While Alanyaspor will be looking to pick up where they left off on Tuesday, they have failed to get the better of Istanbulspor in each of their last four meetings, losing three and claiming one draw since a 1-0 victory in November 2009.
Team News
Istanbulspor will have to cope without 25-year-old defender Mehmet Yesil, who will serve a one-game suspension after crossing the yellow card threshold with his booking in last weekend's tie against Karagumruk.
In his absence, former Senegal international Racine Coly will push for his fourth start of the season, teaming up with Demeaco Duhaney, Simon Deli and Ali Yasar, with Jensen in goal.
On the injury front, Istanbulspor remain without Albanian midfielder Eduart Rroca, who has missed the last two matches after picking up a hamstring injury in November's game against Caykur Rizespor.
Meanwhile, Alanyaspor will take to the pitch without the services of veteran goalkeeper Ertugrul Taskiran, who is set to sit out his third straight game after coming off injured against Galatasaray on November 25.
Turkish full-back Yunus Bahadir was forced off at half time in Tuesday's cup victory over Kocaelispor and the 21-year-old is a doubt for this weekend's match.
Istanbulspor possible starting lineup:
Jensen; Duhaney, Coly, Deli, Yasar; Vorobjovas, Sarikaya; Ndao, Mamadou, Santos; Gultekin
Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:
Karagoz; Lima, Aliti, Augusto, Ozdemir; Coelho, Novais; Karaca, Sisto, Cordova; Aydin
We say: Istanbulspor 1-1 Alanyaspor
Istanbulspor and Alanyaspor have endured an underwhelming campaign and currently find themselves scrambling for points at the wrong end of the table. Both sides are evenly matched on paper and we fancy that they will cancel each other's efforts and settle for a share of the spoils.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
