Giresunspor take on Alanyaspor at the Giresun Ataturk Stadium on Sunday afternoon, in the latest round of Turkish Super Lig fixtures.
The hosts are currently in the relegation zone, owing to the fact Hatayspor have withdrawn from the league, while the visitors are up in 11th place, but still only five points clear of the bottom two.
Match preview
Giresunspor finished 16th in the Turkish Super Lig last season, one place above the bottom four, and they are looking very likely to be embroiled in a relegation battle again this season, given their terrible recent form.
Cotanaklar have picked up just 23 points in 24 games, meaning they are currently one point from safety, having failed to win a single competitive game in the entirety of 2023.
Since a 2-1 victory against Gaziantep in December, Hakan Keles's side have drawn four and lost five of their last nine games, particularly struggling at home, and they now have the joint-second worst points total on their own patch of any side in the division.
Goals have also been a real issue for Giresunspor, scoring just 23 times in the Turkish Super Lig this season, the fewest of any side still competing, with Hatayspor being forced to withdraw from the league back in February.
In their previous meeting against Sunday's opponents this season, Cotanaklar picked up a 1-1 draw on the road, despite being forced to play almost the entire match with 10 men, with Gorkem Saglam's penalty being cancelled out by a late Jure Balkovec effort.
Alanyaspor agonisingly missed out on European football last season, finishing just one point below the Europa Conference League qualification places, but their main concern this season will be avoiding a scrap at the other end of the Turkish Super Lig table.
Sunday's visitors have picked up just 28 points in 25 games, meaning they could still be drawn into a relegation battle, especially if they do not improve what has been very disappointing recent form.
Former manager Francesco Farioli lost his job in February following a 2-1 defeat at relegation-threatened Istanbulspor, after a winless run of five games in all competitions, being replaced by Ersun Yanal.
Under the helm of Yanal, Alanyaspor got off to a great start, defeating Istanbul Basaksehir 1-0 at home courtesy of a second-half Efkan Bekiroglu effort, but they have since been on a downward spiral, losing their last two matches.
Last time out, Yanal's side took an early lead at home against Fenerbahce, but their opponents' quality shone through in the second half, with Enner Valencia netting a brace and Emre Mor adding a late goal to secure a 3-1 victory for the visitors.
Team News
While Giresunspor have struggled in recent weeks, Riad Bajic has been a shining light in a poor team, scoring six goals in his last 11 league games, and he will lead the line again in what should be a 4-2-3-1 system.
Providing support from the left wing is likely to be Borja Sainz, who has scored in his last two games, while Serginho has been the consistent choice on the right, picking up two goals and five assists in the Turkish Super Lig this season.
As for Alanyaspor, right-back Yunus Bahadir has been a long-term absentee with an Achilles tendon injury, while Fatih Aksoy was not in the squad that faced Fenerbahce, meaning Daniel Candeias could be forced into playing in an unconventional defensive role once again.
Koka is the top scorer for Yanal's side, with eight goals in the Turkish Super Lig this season, but he has now failed to score in his last nine games, meaning Efthymios Koulouris should continue in attack, being supported by Bekiroglu from advanced midfield.
Giresunspor possible starting lineup:
Kaplan; Bilazer, Arias, Perez, Genc; Saglam, Mejia, Sainz, Savicevic, Serginho; Bajic
Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:
Runarsson; Candeias, Bayir, Rassoul, Ozdemir; Lusamba, Gunes, Karaca, Bekiroglu, Cavaleiro; Koulouris
We say: Giresunspor 0-1 Alanyaspor
Giresunspor have failed to win this entire calendar year, and while Alanyaspor have not been at their best either, there were promising signs against Basaksehir, and they managed to hold their own against Fenerbahce for large parts of the match.
As such, we expect the visitors to come away with a narrow victory, steering themselves clear of the relegation zone in the process.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Dominic Lund
