Aiming to make it four wins on the bounce and continue their climb up the Turkish Super Lig table, Alanyaspor will make the trip to take on Antalyaspor on Friday.
The visitors have quickly risen to 12th spot thanks to their upturn in form and now find themselves just three points worse off than their eighth-placed hosts, who begin life under new management after the turn of the year.
Match preview
Antalyaspor return to action on home turf on Friday aiming to build on what has been a positive first half to the Turkish Super Lig term on the whole thus far, as they currently sit eighth after 17 outings with 24 points on the board.
The Akrepler have managed six victories across those matches so far, although just one of those has come in the last five attempts, as they firstly followed up three straight three-point hauls with consecutive draws against Caykur Rizespor and Hatayspor between late November and early December.
Still under the management of Nuri Sahin, the Antalya outfit then returned to winning ways with a 2-1 triumph at home to Fatih Karagumruk, thanks to goals from Veysel Sari and Adam Buksa, but they were unable to add to that in the last two outings, firstly playing out a goalless stalemate at home to Kasimpasa before most recently suffering a fifth league defeat of the season last Sunday.
They travelled to take on Adana Demirspor and succumbed to a 2-1 loss, with Erdogan Yesilyurt's goal coming too late to spark a turnaround, before Sahin's two-year tenure came to an end at the end of 2023.
Now beginning a new era under the tutelage of Sergen Yalcin, the Akrepeler find themselves eighth with just two and three-point gaps to Caykur Rizespor and Adana Demirspor respectively, and they will aim to kick off with a home victory on Friday to begin climbing back up towards the top end of the division on their solid foundations.
Their visitors, meanwhile, make the trip aiming to continue an improved run in the Turkish top flight and break into the top half after enduring a tough start to the campaign.
From their first 13 league outings, Alanyaspor earned just 10 points and only managed two victories, but Fatih Tekke, who took charge in early November, has inspired an eye-catching turnaround recently, as they have now doubled that points tally in the last four attempts.
Following a draw with Konyaspor and a Turkish Cup fourth-round triumph over Kocaelispor, Tekke's side now head into the new year's action in a run of three straight top-flight wins, having firstly won 1-0 against Istanbulspor before pulling off a major upset away at giants Besiktas as Yusuf Ozdemir levelled the game at a goal apiece before Nicolas Janvier and Carlos Eduardo found the net in the final five minutes to seal a 3-1 victory.
Alanyaspor would then host Samsunspor last Monday and make it three three-point hauls on the bounce with a second straight 3-1 victory, as Janvier and Ozdemir were again on the scoresheet alongside Oguz Aydin at the Alanya Oba Stadium.
Having now climbed to 12th spot in the Super Lig with a three-point cushion over the bottom four and just a one-point gap to the top half, Friday's visitors will go in search of another triumph to build further momentum and continue their ascent with the chance to move within a point of their hosts.
Team News
We are yet to see how Sergen Yalcin will line up his new Antalyaspor side, and he is expected to have a full squad to choose from on Friday with no major injury concerns.
Their line is bound to be led by Adam Buksa, who has notched up eight goals alongside two assists in just 14 Super Lig appearances so far this term.
If the new boss sticks with a 4-2-3-1 shape, Buksa could have support from Sagiv Jehezkel and Zymer Bytyqi on the wings, while at the other end of the pitch, Turkish veteran Omer Toprak should again play a key role at the heart of the defence alongside Veysel Sari.
Alanyaspor may opt to deploy an unchanged starting XI from their triumph over Samsunspor in search of a fourth straight league win, with Loide Augusto unable to come in having gone on international duty with Angola at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Tekke does have a decision to make, though, with Nicolas Janvier vying to come in from the start having scored off the bench in their last two victories, while Carlos Eduardo is also pushing to come in in the attacking unit of a 4-2-3-1 setup.
Veteran Efecan Karaca should again get the nod to lead the line, while Leroy Fer and Richard will continue to partner up in the engine room.
Antalyaspor possible starting lineup:
Dadakdeniz; Balci, Sari, Toprak, Yesilyurt; Kaluzinski, Aykol; Bytyqi, Van De Streek, Jehezkel; Buksa
Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:
Taskiran; Hadergjonaj, Lima, Aliti, Balkovec; Richard, Fer; Aydin, Janvier, Ozdemir; Karaca
We say: Antalyaspor 1-1 Alanyaspor
Yalcin will hope to have an immediate positive effect on Antalyaspor following popular manager Sahin's departure, but they certainly face a tough test against an Alanyaspor side full of renewed confidence.
We are unable to pick a winner in Friday's contest and see a low-scoring draw as the most likely outcome in this mid-table clash.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Sam Varley
