Altay require a run of victories if they are to beat the drop, and they will be bidding to begin their great escape when they face Istanbul Basaksehir on Saturday.
The visitors, meanwhile, currently reside in fourth place, and they will be searching for a third consecutive victory.
Match preview
Altay need to make up a 10-point gap in the final six matches of the season if they are to remain in the Super Lig.
Recent results suggest that a winning run may not be forthcoming, with their last three matches all ending in defeat.
Last weekend, they were brushed aside by Adana Demirspor, who condemned Altay to yet another defeat courtesy of a 3-1 scoreline.
Younes Belhanda and Samet Akaydin netted in the first half to give Adana Demirspor a two-goal lead before Altay showed signs of a fightback when Mohammad Naderi struck in the 82nd minute, but the prospect of a point was crushed when Mario Balotelli dispatched his spot kick three minutes from time.
The hosts will now return to home surroundings, but hopes of a victory on Saturday may be slim, especially as they currently hold the third-worst home record in the top flight.
The visitors, meanwhile, enter Saturday's contest in high spirits after winning their last two matches to keep them on course for a top-four finish.
A 1-0 win over Yeni Malayaspor ended a four-game winless run and Istanbul Basaksehir followed that result with a 2-0 victory against Sivasspor last weekend.
Emre Belozoglu's side hit the front within three minutes in their away meeting with Sivasspor thanks to a Dimitrios Goutas own goal and the three points were wrapped up when Deniz Turuc found the net in the second half.
That result ensured that Istanbul Basaksehir enter the weekend in fourth place, but they cannot afford to rest on their laurels with a number of teams hot on their heels.
Istanbul Basaksehir's recent away form suggests that more points may be forthcoming, with just one of their last five away league games ending in defeat.
- W
- D
- W
- L
- L
- L
- L
- D
- L
- L
- W
- W
Team News
Ozgur Ozkaya could miss the rest of the season after picking up an injury against Adana Demirspor.
The hosts may also be without Cesar Pinares, who missed last weekend's encounter through injury.
Daouda Bamba, meanwhile, is set to keep his place up front after starting the last two matches for Altay, and he will be looking to add to his seven-goal league tally.
As for the visitors, Nacer Chadli could miss out for a third consecutive game due to an injury issue, while Mahmut Tekdemir is also absent with the midfielder suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
With Tekdemir unavailable, Salih Ucan is expected to come into the starting lineup for Saturday's contest.
Istanbul Basaksehir's goal threat will come from Stefano Okaka, who has scored 10 league goals this term.
Altay possible starting lineup:
Lis; Karayel, Bjorkander, Ozturk, Naderi; Kappel, Gulselam, Thaciano, Poko, Rodriguez; Bamba
Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:
BaTbacan; Caicara, Duarte, Epureanu, Lima; Turuc, Aleksic, Cigerci, Ucan, Trezeguet; Okaka
We say: Altay 0-2 Istanbul Basaksehir
Istanbul Basaksehir enter the contest looking for a third consecutive victory, and with Altay low on confidence, we think that the hosts will have enough quality to clinch all three points on Saturday.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Istanbul Basaksehir win with a probability of 48.01%. A win for Altay had a probability of 26.63% and a draw had a probability of 25.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Istanbul Basaksehir win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.09%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.35%) and 0-2 (8.6%). The likeliest Altay win was 1-0 (7.78%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.05%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.1% likelihood.
Germany
Hungary
Scotland
Switzerland
Albania
Croatia
Italy
Spain
Denmark
England
Serbia
Slovenia
Austria
France
Netherlands
Poland
Belgium
Romania
Slovakia
Ukraine
Czech Republic
Georgia
Portugal
Turkey
