Two teams with contrasting fortunes in the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig campaign will face off when Samsunspor host Hatayspor at the Samsun 19 May Stadium on Friday.
Both sides narrowly escaped relegation last season, but their paths have diverged dramatically this term – while the Red Lightning have emerged as one of the league's surprise packages, sitting comfortably in third place, the Star of the South are wallowing in the bottom four.
Match preview
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Samsunspor have been one of the most unpredictable teams this season, amassing 40 points after 21 matches—just three points shy of their total from the entire 2023-24 campaign.
Under the guidance of Thomas Reis, the Red Lightning, who have soared since the turn of the year, saw their momentum halted last Saturday with a shocking 4-0 defeat to Istanbul Basaksehir.
A hat-trick from the league's top scorer, Krzysztof Piatek, ended Samsunspor's five-match unbeaten streak and narrowed their lead over fourth-placed Eyupspor to just one point.
Despite the setback, the Samsun-based side will feel confident heading into Friday's clash given their strong record against Hatayspor at home, having won both previous encounters on this ground.
The reverse fixture earlier this season saw the Red Lightning dominate with a 3-0 victory, and based on the form of both teams, the home fans will expect a similar outcome.
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Hatayspor, on the other hand, are in dire straits – despite showing signs of improvement under new head coach Murat Sahin, results have not gone their way.
Sahin's tenure began with a morale-boosting 1-1 draw against Galatasaray, followed by a thrilling but heartbreaking 5-4 loss to Kasimpasa.
Last weekend, they fell 3-2 to Antalyaspor despite twice leveling the score, conceding the winner with just four minutes left to play in normal time.
Time is running out for Hatayspor in their survival bid – with just 10 points from 21 matches, they are 13 points adrift of safety and second-bottom in the table.
The Star of the South's away form has been particularly dismal, as they have collected the fewest away points (2) in the league and remain one of only two teams yet to win on the road this season.
Team News
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Samsunspor have no fresh injury or suspension concerns ahead of this clash, leaving head coach Reis with a plethora of options.
Emre Kilinc, who missed the Basaksehir defeat due to injury, is expected to return, while Landry Diamata is back from suspension.
For Hatayspor, they have one injury concern, as midfielder Jonathan Okoronkwo remains sidelined with a foot injury until next month.
However, the visitors will welcome back Lamine Diack, who returns after missing last weekend's clash after a suspension for accumulated yellow cards.
Samsunspor possible starting lineup:
Kocuk; Bola, Satka, Drongelen, Yavru; Ntcham, Bennasser; Schindler, Holse, Laura; Mouandilmadji
Hatayspor possible starting lineup:
Bekaj; Setel, Yilmaz, Demir, Rivas; Massanga, Pedro, Parmak; Boutobba, Aboubakar, Fernandes
We say: Samsunspor 3-1 Hatayspor
Samsunspor, in strong form and with home advantage, are favorites to win against a struggling Hatayspor side, who are without a win in their last 10 matches and have been particularly poor on the road - which is why we are expecting a dominant performance from the hosts and a comfortable victory for them.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
