Two sides at opposite ends of the Turkish Super Lig table will go head-to-head when Samsunspor welcome Trabzonspor to the Samsun 19 May Stadium on Saturday.
Both teams are having unpredictable campaigns so far, with the hosts defying expectations to sit third in the table, while the visitors, to the surprise of many, are just three places above the relegation zone.
Match preview
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Samsunspor are having a league campaign far beyond expectations after barely surviving the drop last term, though recent weeks have not been kind to them.
The Red Lightning have won just once in their last six matches across all competitions, drawing twice and losing three times, which includes a cup exit at the hands of fourth-tier side Orduspor.
In the league, Thomas Reis's side have won just one of their last five matches – a 4-0 victory over Bodrumspor – with two wins and two draws accompanying the victory, a run that has seen them drop further away from the top two and closer to fourth spot.
In their most recent league outing, Samsunspor settled for a goalless draw away at Sivasspor, which followed their loss to Eyupspor, establishing a two-match winless streak which they will hope to end against Trabzonspor, a team they defeated in their most recent meeting in May 2024.
Despite their rough patch, the Red Lightning have held firm on home soil, remaining unbeaten in their last six league games at Samsun 19 May Stadium, with four wins and two draws providing some optimism heading into Saturday's clash.
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Trabzonspor ended 2024 on a positive note, picking up a 1-0 victory over Bodrumspor to end a three-match winless run, keeping a clean sheet despite the injury crisis in defence.
This win helped the Black Sea Storm climb to 13th in the Super Lig standings, with 19 points from 16 matches, now four points clear of the relegation zone.
Head coach Senol Gunes will hope that serves as a springboard for the new year, as a nine-point deficit from the top four does not look insurmountable if his side can get their acts together.
However, their latest mission will be picking up a first away win of the campaign, with the Black Sea Storm recording four draws and four losses – all of which have come in their last four games on the road – in eight games on opposition ground.
In recent years, this fixture has often favoured the hosts, with seven of the last eight competitive encounters between both teams being won by the home side, the only exception being a draw in 2011.
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Team News
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Samsunspor will have to make do without Rick van Drongelen, who is suspended for accumulated yellow cards, with Yunus Cift expected to deputise for him.
Also, Alper Pazar is injured, though Emre Kilinc has served his suspension and will return to the starting XI.
Trabzonspor will remain without Batista Mendy, who is also suspended after passing the yellow card threshold.
Stefan Savic, Serkan Asan and Huseyin Turkmen are all sidelined with injuries, leaving the defence severely depleted.
Up front, Simon Banza, second on the scorer's chart with 10 goals, is set to lead the line once again, aiming to return to the score sheet.
Samsunspor possible starting lineup:
Kocuk; Yavru, Satka, Cift, Bola; Ntcham, Bennasser; Muja, Holse, Dimata; Mouandilmadji
Trabzonspor possible starting lineup:
Cakir; Malheiro, Saatci, Batagov, Elmali; Tufan, Lundstram, Cham; Visca, Banza, Nwakaeme
We say: Samsunspor 1-1 Trabzonspor
Samsunspor have endured a challenging couple of weeks, struggling to find composure in front of goal, which has resulted in failing to score in their recent matches.
With Trabzonspor likely to welcome back several players from injury, we anticipate a much tighter contest this time around, which leads us to predict a closely-fought draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
