Super Lig leaders Trabzonspor are looking to extend their current seven-game winning run on Saturday, when they host ninth-placed Adana Demirspor in gameweek 15 in Turkey.
The visitors have only lost once in their last seven matches across all competitions and three points this weekend could take them to within one point of the top four.
Match preview
© Reuters
Abdullah Avci's side are already 10 points clear at the top of the Super Lig and have not yet lost a game in the division, which they are aiming to win for the first time since 1984.
Trabzonspor continued their impressive form last time out when they travelled to seventh-placed Fatih Karagumruk, and goals from Djaniny and Abdulkadir Omur sealed a 2-0 victory.
The league leaders can boast the best attacking and defensive stats in Turkey so far this season, having scored 29 goals and only conceded 11, giving them a far superior goal difference to add to the already big points gap.
Avci's side did not make it into the group stages of the Europa Conference League this season, and perhaps their sole focus on the Super Lig has given them an advantage over teams like Fenerbahce, who are also participating in the Europa League.
Adana Demirspor progressed in the Turkish Cup last time out with a comfortable 5-0 win against second-tiered Serik Belediyespor, thanks to first-half goals from Mario Balotelli, Yunus Akgun, Metehan Mimaroglu and a brace from Birkir Bjarnason.
However, Vincenzo Montella's side would have been disappointed with their latest league result, a 0-0 draw with 19th-placed Kasimpasa, and Adana Demirspor only managed one shot on target in that encounter.
The Blue Lightnings did record their second away win of the season during their last match on the road, a 3-1 victory in Izmir against Altay, but Saturday's challenge will pose different threats coming up against the league leaders.
Adana Demirspor's expectations for this season are likely to be survival in the top flight after only returning to the Super Lig for this season after a 26-year absence.
Montella's side have made a good start to the season in terms of avoiding relegation, currently sitting ninth and seven points in front of 17th place, meaning that maybe they can strive for more than just survival this year.
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- L
- D
- L
- W
- W
- D
- W
- L
- W
- W
- D
- W
Team News
Number two goalkeeper Erce Kardesler will continue to be absent from the bench for Trabzonspor due to a hamstring injury, while defender Huseyin Turkmen is also not expected back from a knee injury until later this month.
Attacker Gervinho managed nine Super Lig games at the start of this campaign before suffering a cruciate ligament injury which has ruled him out for the rest of the season, but apart from the trio mentioned, Trabzonspor have no new injury concerns.
Andreas Cornelius will lead the line for the home side with Anthony Nwakaeme, Omur and Djaniny in an attacking midfield three behind the lone striker.
Adana Demirspor midfielder Younes Belhanda has not featured for the side since the end of October and he is expected to continue to be sidelined along with Lucas Castro, who is suffering with a hamstring injury.
Montella named the same starting lineup for their last two league games and the visitors are expected to remain the same again this weekend, meaning that Britt Assombalonga will start up front.
Assombalonga and Balotelli both have five goals under their belts this season, and Balotelli is likely to come off the bench to make an impact on Saturday.
Trabzonspor possible starting lineup:
Cakir; Trondsen, Hugo, Ie, Tokoz; Hamsik, Siopis; Nwakaeme, Omur, Djaniny; Cornelius
Adana Demirspor possible starting lineup:
Muric; Rassoul, Deli, Akaydin, Svensson; Stambouli, Kurt; Vargas, Akgun, David; Assombalonga
We say: Trabzonspor 2-1 Adana Demirspor
Trabzonspor have not managed to keep three consecutive clean sheets this season which is why Adana Demirspor could get on the scoresheet this weekend.
However, the league leaders have shown no signs of slowing down and their winning run is expected to continue, especially considering they are back on home soil.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Trabzonspor win with a probability of 58.48%. A win for Adana Demirspor had a probability of 20.93% and a draw had a probability of 20.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a Trabzonspor win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.75%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (8.11%) and 1-0 (7.64%). The likeliest Adana Demirspor win was 1-2 (5.51%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (9.18%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with an 8.1% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Trabzonspor would win this match.
