Two teams battling to secure their Turkish Super Lig status for another season will go head-to-head when Hatayspor welcome Sivasspor to Mersin Stadium on Sunday.
The hosts find themselves second-bottom in the table, 11 points adrift of safety, while the visitors sit just outside the relegation zone, edging Bodrumspor on head-to-head record.
Match preview
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Hatayspor pulled off something they had failed to do all season – winning away from home – and they did so in spectacular fashion, claiming a shock 2-1 victory against one of the league's strongest home sides, Trabzonspor, last time out.
While Murat Sahin's men benefited from their opponents' wastefulness in front of goal, it was exactly the kind of morale-boosting result they needed as they attempt to bridge an 11-point gap to safety and keep their top-flight hopes alive.
The Star of the South will need more results of that calibre to have any chance of survival, but to do so, they must improve their poor home form as well.
However, Hatayspor have collected just 11 points at Mersin Stadium this season, the second-fewest in the division, with only bottom-placed Adana Demirspor faring worse with five.
Adding to their concerns, Hatayspor have managed just one win in eight home meetings against Sivasspor, and that came in the lower divisions, as they have never beaten Sunday's visitors at home in the Turkish top flight, making this a tough challenge for Sahin's side.
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Meanwhile, Riza Calimbay returns to familiar territory, having left Hatayspor by mutual consent as recently as December, as he now seeks to boost Sivasspor's survival bid while further denting the hopes of his former club.
Calimbay made an instant impact in his first match in charge, overseeing a 3-1 comeback victory over Goztepe last Sunday, a result that snapped a five-game winless run in the league, and now, he will be looking to build on that momentum
The Braves are precariously placed just above the drop zone, level on 27 points with Bodrumspor and Kayserispor, the first two sides in the bottom four, although they have played a game more than the latter.
Recent history favours the visitors, as Sivasspor are unbeaten in their last four encounters with Hatayspor, winning two and drawing two, while they have also never lost a top-flight match at Mersin Stadium, recording two wins and two draws in their visits
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Team News
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Hatayspor remain without injured duo Lamine Diack and Kamil Corekci, which could see Chandrel Massanga and Kerim Alici come into the starting XI
Carlos Strandberg is also sidelined, but Funsho Bamgboye is available for selection again after serving his suspension
Sivasspor have their own injury concerns, with Samba Camara, Azizbek Turgunboev, Achilleas Poungouras and Emrah Bassan all ruled out.
Mehmet Albayrak remains sidelined with a cruciate ligament tear, though he is nearing a return, while Ziya Erdal is suspended after accumulating yellow cards, meaning Ugur Ciftci is likely to step into the starting lineup.
Hatayspor possible starting lineup:
Bekaj; Sertel, Calvo, Kilama, Alici; Massanga, Parmak; Bamgboye, Saglam, Fernandes; Aboubakar
Sivasspor possible starting lineup:
Vural; Ciftci, Sundberg, Radakovic, Paluli; Moutoussamy, Charisis; Rodrigues, Bekiroglu, Koita; Manaj
We say: Hatayspor 1-1 Sivasspor
Sivasspor looked more energetic than they have in a long time and showed great character to come from behind for a deserved win last time out, and with an experienced manager at the helm, they should at least take a point from this match.
Hatayspor were fortunate in their last victory, as their opponents wasted several chances, and if they defend the same way here, they could be punished, but they should still have enough to earn a draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
