Two teams aiming to recover from disappointing league defeats in their opening games of 2025 face off on Sunday, as Trabzonspor host Antalyaspor in a Turkish Super Lig encounter.
The hosts suffered a narrow 2-1 loss to Samsunspor on January 4, while Antalyaspor endured a heavy 4-1 defeat against Eyupspor on the same day.
Match preview
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Trabzonspor have had a mixed start to the new year, following their loss to Samsunspor with an impressive 3-0 win over Alanyaspor in the Turkish Cup.
Currently sitting 14th in the Super Lig standings with 19 points, they are precariously just three points above the relegation zone, marking a stark contrast to last season's third-place finish, which had set expectations much higher.
Head coach Senol Gunes will be banking on Trabzonspor's solid home form to turn their fortunes around, with the Black Sea Storm unbeaten in their last four home games across all competitions, and losing only one of previous nine outings on their own turf.
Adding to their confidence is their strong record in this fixture, where they remain unbeaten in their last three meetings, claiming two wins and a draw, while suffering just one loss in the last five encounters.
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Antalyaspor, like their hosts, rebounded from their league defeat with a 3-1 win over Kocaelispor in the Turkish Cup - however, the Scorpions have faltered in recent league matches, losing back-to-back games after a four-match unbeaten streak.
Now sitting 12th in the standings, just two points above Trabzonspor and five above the relegation zone, they are keen to avoid being dragged further into the fight for survival.
However, Alex de Souza's side has struggled on the road, picking up just one win in eight away league matches this season, with two draws and five losses.
Historically, this fixture has been unkind to visiting sides, with no away win recorded in the last nine league meetings, while Antalyaspor's last victory at this venue came back in 2016.
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Team News
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Trabzonspor face a mounting injury crisis, with up to five players sidelined, including Edin Visca and Denis Dragus, who are both out with muscle issues.
Stefan Savic nurses a hamstring problem, while Huseyin Turkmen remains unavailable due to an ankle injury, and Okay Yokuslu continues his recovery from a knee issue.
Antalyaspor are also short-handed, with Veysel Sari suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Erdogan Yesilyurt and Emre Uzun are out for the season with ligament injuries, while Bahadir Ozturk and Burak Ingenc remain on the injury list.
Trabzonspor possible starting lineup:
Cakir; Malheiro, Saatci, Batagov, Elmali; Tufan, Lundstram; Canak, Cham, Nwakaeme; Banza
Antalyaspor possible starting lineup:
Piric; Balci, Gerxhaliu, Thalisson, Vural; Kaluzinki, Petrusenko; Dikmen, van de Streek, Larsson; Gaich
We say: Trabzonspor 2-1 Antalyaspor
Despite their inconsistencies, Trabzonspor's strong home form gives them the edge against an Antalyaspor side that are poor on the road, which is why we are predicting a win for the home side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
