Two sides at opposite ends of the Super Lig table do battle when Europe-chasing Trabzonspor welcome cellar-dwelling Umraniyespor to the Senol Gunes Spor Kompleski Akyazi Stadyumu on Saturday.
The sixth-placed club were beaten 2-1 by Galatasaray in their last official game in the Turkish top flight on February 5, while this weekend's visitors held fifth-placed Adana Demirspor to a 1-1 draw on February 26, circa three weeks after the devastating earthquake in the country.
Match preview
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Even if the Super Lig's hiatus came in unfortunate circumstances, Trabzonspor needed a breather as their wobble hitherto was striking.
Two defeats in three games saw last year's champions stay sixth in the standings after their 2-1 loss to table-topping Galatasaray on February 5, their sixth reverse of a challenging title defence.
For a side that fell to just three losses in the year they ended a 38-year wait to reign supreme in the top flight, Abdullah Avci's men are underperforming in the club's ambition to retain the crown.
The goals have been in short supply for Black Sea Storm, perhaps an upshot of the departures of Andreas Cornelius and Anthony Nwakaeme, who netted 15 and 13 league goals in 2021-22, respectively.
Trabzonspor are not scoring as many as they were in the preceding campaign, but they have also been leaky defensively, evidenced by 29 goals conceded that falls seven shy of last year's 36.
The Trabzon-based club host the competition's bottom team, looking to move as high as third — Avci's men have not been in the top three since they were second in August — if they win and results go their way.
Facing Umraniyespor could pose problems even if triumph against a club competing in its first top-flight season ostensibly seems straightforward.
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The Umraniye outfit have struggled for performances and results on their turf but fare better away from the Umraniye Belediyesi Sehir Stadyumu, picking up nine of their 15 points on their travels.
Recep Ucar's team have not been embarrassed on the road, despite a 5-2 loss at Besiktas suggesting otherwise, with four of their five defeats in the Super Lig just by the odd goal.
An impressive showing at champions-elect Galatasaray at the start of February saw the away side take the lead on two occasions before losing 3-2 in the end, and preceding that was a similar score at Antalyaspor where a late Fredy winner in minute 90 saw Umraniyespor fail to hold on for a 2-2 draw.
Ucar's troops give everything on their travels, so another competitive showing should be expected at the stomping ground of last year's champions, whose home record is bettered by Fenerbahce and Galatasaray, outdoing Black Sea Storm's 27 points by one.
The reverse fixture in early September was decided by Trezeguet's goal on the hour, while an encounter in the Turkish Cup in January ended 4-1 in Trabzonspor's favour.
Team News
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Marek Hamsik is not expected to feature for Trabzonspor due to a hamstring injury that has kept him out since January.
Dorukhan Tokoz and Abdulkadir Parmak have been absent since September and December 2022 respectively and are still sidelined for the league's defending champions.
Bruno Peres is in contention to start at right-back after overcoming an Achilles tendon rupture that limited him to three Super Lig starts before the hiatus, although Jens Stryger Larsen could get the nod.
Durel Avounou's sending-off against Galatasaray ruled him out of Umraniyespor's 1-1 draw with Adana Demirspor, but the midfielder should return to the lineup in Trabzon.
Orkun Ozdemir was impressive between the sticks before the hiatus, and the goalkeeper is expected to make his 12th league start of the season.
Ucar is likely to utilise a 4-3-3 against Trabzonspor despite opting for a 5-3-2 on Sunday.
Trabzonspor possible starting lineup:
Cakir; Larsen, Bartra, Hugo, Elmali; Bakasetas, Siopis, Bardhi; Omur, Gomez, Trezeguet
Umraniyespor possible starting lineup:
Ozdemir; Popov, Sacker, Glumac, Atasayar; Gurbulak, Yilmaz, Avounou; Geraldo, Nayir, Sekidika
We say: Trabzonspor 2-0 Umraniyespor
Even though the league's bottom side are competitive on their travels, Trabzonspor's superiority should see them secure a victory on their turf.
Last year's title-winning side have claimed five wins on their turf in succession without conceding a goal, and a sixth clean sheet is likely to happen.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
