The action continues in the Turkish Super Lig as Kasimpasa and Istanbul Basaksehir go head to head at the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stadium on Tuesday evening.
Both sides picked up contrasting results in their first outing of the year, with the Grey Owls playing out a somewhat disappointing goalless draw against Adana Demirspor on home turf.
Match preview
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Off the back of a strong first half of the season, Kasimpasa can dream of a place in Europe as they sit just three points behind the Europa Conference League qualification spot.
The Apaciler kicked off the new year as they would have hoped for as they stunned Besiktas by recording a 3-1 victory when the sides squared off at the Tupras Stadyumu on Friday.
Former Auxerre striker Nuno Da Costa single-handedly put Besiktas to the sword as he netted a hat-trick to condemn the Black Eagles to their seventh league defeat of the season.
Sami Ugurlu's men have now picked up three wins and two draws in six matches since losing each of their three games in November, a run which has seen them reach the fifth round of the Turkish Cup courtesy of a 4-1 victory over Kirsehir FK on December 6.
This upturn in form has been owing to their impressive output at the attacking end of the pitch, where they have scored 15 goals since the start of December and currently hold the division's joint-third best record.
Kasimpasa have picked up seven wins and five draws in their 18 Super Lig matches so far to collect 26 points and sit eighth in the table, just three points adrift of fourth-placed Kayserispor.
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Having just crossed the midway point of the campaign, Basaksehir find themselves in 13th place, level on 20 points with Gaziantep and Ankaragucu, and just two points above the dotted line.
Cagdas Atan's side were involved in a share of the spoils for the second consecutive game as they played out a goalless draw with Adana Demirspor at the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium on Saturday.
Despite seeing a bulk of the ball possession and being in the ascendancy for most of the game, Basaksehir failed to tuck away their chances and were left with their head in their hands at the full-time whistle.
However, this was a fifth consecutive game without defeat for the Grey Owls since a 3-2 loss at Caykur Rizespor on December 2, claiming two draws and three wins, including a 2-0 cup victory over Sanliurfaspor.
Having finished fifth in the league last term, Basaksehir's underwhelming first half of the season has been owing to their struggles on the road, where they are currently on a seven-game winless run and have picked up the joint-fourth fewest points in the league (6).
However, recent results against Kasimpasa offer optimism for Atan's men, who set out in search of their first away win since September, as they have won each of the most recent five meetings between the sides and are unbeaten in their last seven since a 3-2 defeat in July 2020.
Team News
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Kasimpsa will be without several key players down the spine of the team as the likes of defender Sadik Ciftpinar, midfielder Erdem Cetinkaya and forward Julien Ngoy have all been sidelined through injuries.
Moroccan midfielder Dries Saddiki has missed the last three matches through a muscle problem, while 27-year-old Samuel Bastien continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines after coming off injured in October.
Experienced Keneth Omeruo has joined up with the Nigeria national team ahead of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, meaning that Utku Aydin and Yasin Ozcan should form the centre-back pairing once again.
Like the hosts, Basaksehir will also have to cope without 29-year-old defender Edgar Ie, who is currently on international duty with the Guinea-Bissau national team.
Atan will also be unable to name the midfield duo of Efe Arda Koyuncu and 25-year-old Patryk Szysz, who have been ruled out through hamstring and ACL injuries respectively.
Turkish goalkeeper Muhammed Sengezer has been out of action since coming off with a severe thigh injury against Konyaspor on September 2 and is also out of contention for Tuesday's tie.
Kasimpasa possible starting lineup:
Gianniotis; Ouanes, Aydin, Ozcan, Winck; Kara, Gul; Gomis, Fall, Hajradinovic; Da Costa
Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:
Babacan; Dubois, Duarte, Ba, Lima; Turuc; Figueiredo, Abeid, Ozcan, Pelkas; Piatek
We say: Kasimpasa 1-1 Istanbul Basaksehir
Buoyed by Friday's victory, Kasimpsa will head into the midweek clash looking to keep the ball rolling with sky-high confidence. Despite their struggles on the road, Basaksehir have put together a fine run of form in recent weeks and we see them holding out for a share of the spoils.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
