Two of the top three form sides in the Turkish Super Lig do battle on Saturday when Kayserispor host title-chasing Fenerbahce.
The hosts secured maximum points in their last game after the enforced hiatus, beating Giresunspor 2-1 last Saturday, while Fener were 3-0 victors at Konyaspor.
Match preview
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Kayserispor picked up where they left off before the three-week interlude by defeating relegation-threatened Giresunspor last week to continue what has been a commendable run of wins.
The Anatolian Star have secured three wins on the trot in the league, a sequence bettered by only Galatasaray who have won 12 league encounters on the trot.
Cagdas Atan's team have beaten four of their last five opponents in the top flight, and 12 points from their last five matches is the third-best return in the division in that time, with Saturday's opponents and the top-ranked team claiming 13 and 15 points, respectively.
That said, the home form has left much to be desired, evidenced by four losses in their 11 games at the RHG Enerturk Enerji Stadium, the eighth-best record in the Super Lig.
A glass-half-full perspective views the recent three matches at the Kadir Has Stadium as a sign of the tide turning, owing to how the club has secured six points from those games.
On the other hand, three losses in five fixtures at their ground may be looked at with so much doom and gloom.
Kayserispor are outsiders for third place, with Besiktas only five points ahead of the side in seventh in what is turning into a five-way battle for the final Europa Conference League qualifying spot.
Success over Fenerbahce will be far from straightforward, especially with the second-placed outfit in the hunt for the title, albeit being the outsiders trying to scupper Galatasaray's ongoing irrepressible push for the league.
Six points separate the Yellow Canaries from the club atop the rankings, so Jorge Jesus is aware there is little margin for error even though the league is just past its halfway point.
Fener are the competition's top scorers with 56 goals, 11 more than the club leading the race, but a soft underbelly threatens to undermine their tussle with Gala.
Jesus's troops have let in seven more goals than the first-placed club, a flaw that may require fixing to have any chance of winning a first Super Lig title since 2013-14 and their 20th altogether.
With Galatasaray not playing until March 11, a win for Fenerbahce at Kayserispor sees them cut the lead at the top to three points, heaping some pressure on the side favoured to claim the biggest domestic honour in Turkey.
Their six-game unbeaten run against Saturday's hosts adds to the feeling that they could extend that streak without losing to seven, thus securing a seventh victory from the last eight games.
Kayserispor missed a huge chance to end this poor spell of results in November 2021 when they blew a two-goal lead late on at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium to draw 2-2.
The reverse fixture unsurprisingly ended 2-0 to Fener at the start of September, making them favourites to edge Saturday's outing and inflict a fifth home defeat on the Kayseri-based outfit.
Team News
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Olivier Kemen and Lionel Carole should return to the Kayserispor lineup after serving their suspensions last time out.
A hamstring injury has kept Bernard Mensah out of the side since January, and the Ghana international is not expected to play on Saturday.
Fenerbahce are sweating over Michy Batshuayi's fitness, so it remains to be seen if the Belgian is selected to feature in tandem with Enner Valencia, with Joshua King likely to keep his spot alongside the Ecuadorian if the ex-Chelsea man does not return.
Luan Peres has been out through injury and is not expected to feature on Saturday.
The expectation is that Jesus continues with the 4-3-1-2 that has been impressive all year.
Kayserispor possible starting lineup:
Bayazit; Sazdagi, Hosseini, Kocaman, Carole; Campanharo, Kemen, Karimi; Cardoso, Thiam, Mane
Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:
Bayindir; Kadioglu, Akaydin, Szalai, Lincoln; Arao, Rossi, Kahveci; Zajc; Valencia, King
We say: Kayserispor 1-2 Fenerbahce
Despite the recent uptick in home results, the broader inspection of the outcome of Kayserispor's games in Kayseri does not inspire much confidence in their ability to end Fener's unbeaten streak.
The visitors are unbeaten since their 3-0 thrashing by title rivals Galatasaray and five without defeat is expected to become six without losing on Saturday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
