Kasimpasa will be bidding to take a big step towards securing safety in the Turkish Super Lig when they continue their campaign away to Sivasspor on Tuesday night.
The visitors are currently 15th in the table, six points outside of the relegation zone, while Sivasspor are 11th, three points above their opponents ahead of the contest in Sivas.
Match preview
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Sivasspor have won 10, drawn seven and lost 15 of their 32 league games this season to collect 37 points, which has left them in 11th position in the table.
Riza Calimbay's side finished 10th in Turkey's top flight last term and are set to claim a similar spot this term, but they are bidding to win the Turkish Cup for the second year in a row following their triumph in 2021-22.
The Braves played out a goalless draw with Fenerbahce in the first leg of their semi-final on May 3, with the return fixture set to take place on May 23.
Sivasspor will actually enter this match off the back of successive losses in the league, going down 3-1 at home to Fenerbahce at the end of April before being beaten 4-1 by Umraniyespor last weekend.
Calimbay's team will follow this game with a clash against the leaders Galatasaray on May 20, and they will be bidding to secure their 11th league victory of the campaign ahead of that contest.
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Kasimpasa, meanwhile, currently sit 15th in the table, six points ahead of 16th-placed Giresunspor, boasting a record of nine wins, seven draws and 15 defeats from 31 league games this term.
Kemal Ozdes's side have been present in Turkey's top tier since 2012, finishing 11th last term, but they have found it difficult to show consistency during the 2022-23 campaign.
Kasimpasa have not been victorious in the league since the start of April, picking up just two points from their last four games, which includes a 5-0 defeat to Adana Demirspor.
The visitors will enter this match off the back of a goalless draw against Ankaragucu, and they will be bidding to win on their travels for just the second time since the middle of September.
Kasimpasa's away form this season is actually one of the worst in the league, collecting only 10 points from 14 matches, scoring just eight times in the process, which is a concern ahead of this match.
Team News
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Sivasspor will again be without the services of Ali Sasal Vural through injury, while Mustapha Yatabere will be missing for the home side through suspension.
As a result, there will have to be an alteration in the final third of the field, with Clinton N'Jie likely to be the player to benefit from the absence of his teammate.
Head coach Calimbay has plenty of other options for change in the attacking positions, but Samuel Saiz and Max Gradel are both expected to keep hold of their starting roles.
As for Kasimpasa, Ali Gholizadeh and Sadik Ciftpinar will be unavailable through injury.
The visitors have not actually been in action since the end of April, when they drew 0-0 with Ankaragucu, and there are no fresh fitness concerns for Ozdes's side.
Mamadou Fall is the team's leading goalscorer this season with six, and the 31-year-old will again operate in the final third of the field, while Stephane Bahoken should also retain his starting role at centre-forward.
Sivasspor possible starting lineup:
Yildirim; Paluli, Goutas, Osmanpasa, Ciftci; Charisis, Ulvestad, Saiz; Yesilyurt, N'Jie, Gradel
Kasimpasa possible starting lineup:
Guvenc; Hadergjonaj, Donk, Serbest, Ben Ouannes; Malsa, Kara; Fall, Eysseric, Chouiar; Bahoken
We say: Sivasspor 2-1 Kasimpasa
Sivasspor have only picked up 18 points from their 15 home league games this season, but Kasimpasa's away form has been really disappointing. We are expecting Tuesday's contest to be a close affair but believe that the home side will have enough quality to secure all three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
