On the return to domestic action after the November international break, Kayserispor and Adana Demirspor will face off in an important contest at the top end of the Turkish Super Lig table on Sunday.
The sides are tied on 22 points after 12 top-flight outings, with the visitors occupying third spot while their hosts sit sixth despite only trailing on goal difference.
Match preview
After their ninth-placed finish in the Turkish Super Lig table last season, Kayserispor have enjoyed a fine start to the new term, as they currently sit sixth with 22 points on the board from 12 outings having managed six victories while only suffering two defeats.
That is despite some unrest early in the campaign, as former manager Cagdas Atan departed for Istanbul Basaksehir in early September, with Recep Ucar having inspired an impressive run since his appointment.
After two of his first four league games at the helm ended in defeats at the hands of Besiktas and Ankaragucu, the new boss led the Anatolian Star to four straight Super Lig triumphs heading into the international break, as they firstly beat Caykur Rizespor 3-1 thanks to Mame Thiam's hat-trick, before winning 2-1 away at Hatayspor.
A 1-0 victory at home to Alanyaspor then followed, with Thiam netting the only goal, before they most recently travelled to Kasimpasa and made it four three-point hauls on the bounce in an eventful contest, eventually prevailing with a 4-3 victory having initially gone 4-1 up through Ali Karimi, Aylton Boa Morte and Thiam and a Sadik Ciftpinar own goal before holding onto a one-goal lead for the final 16 minutes.
Such a result saw Ucar's side remain tied with Trabzonspor and Besiktas and level with Sunday's visitors in the top three, and having quickly gained momentum before the break, they will be keen to pick up where they left off on their return to action on Sunday and put up a fifth straight triumph to leapfrog their opponents.
That will be no easy task, though, with Adana Demirspor having enjoyed an equally pleasing start to the new league campaign and returning to action in third spot in Turkey's top flight.
Their lofty standing is in spite of a dip in form before the international break, after beginning with 17 points from their opening eight outings in their first season under the management of Patrick Kluivert, as a hot streak was halted by just a second league defeat of the campaign at the hands of Fatih Karagumruk last month.
The Blue Lightnings did instantly bounce back from that setback with a 3-0 beating of Konyaspor, thanks to M'Baye Niang's brace and a Mario Balotelli goal, before playing out back-to-back draws heading into the break with the more recent of those being the more impressive as they held league leaders Fenerbahce to a goalless stalemate on home turf.
While they can certainly be pleased with that display and result, Adana Demirspor have quickly been caught by the chasing pack with Besiktas, Trabzonspor and Kayserispor all lining up to take their top-three spot, and Kluivert's men will instead aim to strengthen their position with seventh victory of the campaign this weekend.
Team News
Kayserispor will likely come into Sunday's meeting with an unchanged starting XI from their win over Kasimpasa before the break, with winger Carlos Mane likely remaining the only absentee through injury.
In their preferred 4-2-3-1 shape, Mame Thiam will continue to lead the line with confidence, having already notched up nine goals in just 12 Super Lig appearances so far this term, while winger Aylton Boa Morte is another danger man having chipped in with four goals of his own in his first eight games for the club.
Olivier Kemen and Miguel Cardoso should again complete the attacking unit, while Ali Karimi and Besiktas loanee Kartal Yilmaz will continue their partnership in midfield.
Adana Demirspor are expected to remain without midfielder Emre Akbaba and forward Mario Balotelli due to injuries this weekend, while attacking midfielder Younes Belhanda will also miss out as he serves a one-match suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards.
In Balotelli's absence, their line will be led by M'Baye Niang, who has managed six goals in 12 league appearances so far this term, while Portuguese veteran Nani will hope to take Belhanda's place in a supporting trio, with the 37-year-old having chipped in with two goals and two assists in Turkey's top flight.
Yusuf Erdogan will continue to play a key role in attack from the left wing, while Benjamin Stambouli should take Akbaba's place alongside Badou Ndiaye at the base of the midfield.
Kayserispor possible starting lineup:
Bayazit; Sazdagi, Attamah, Hosseini, Carole; Karimi, Yilmaz; Boa Morte, Kemen, Cardoso; Thiam
Adana Demirspor possible starting lineup:
Ozbir; Svensson, Guler, Gravillon, Rodrigues; Ndiaye, Stambouli; Nani, Sari, Erdogan; Niang
We say: Kayserispor 2-1 Adana Demirspor
Sunday's contest is certainly an intriguing one between two sides who have enjoyed strong starts to the Super Lig season.
While we certainly anticipate a tight encounter, the hosts have quickly gained momentum to join the leading pack, and with an impressive record on their own patch, we fancy Kayserispor to make it five straight triumphs at the weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Sam Varley
