Gaziantep and Kayserispor lock horns in the Turkish Super Lig on Saturday, with both sides looking to end their winless runs.
The hosts, down in the relegation zone, are in desperate need of victory here to take them to safety, while the visitors can steer further away from the drop zone with a win.
Match preview
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Gaziantep saw their winless run in the league stretch to six games after a 2-1 defeat to Galatasaray at RAMS Park on Monday evening.
Arda Kizildag gave Gaziantep the lead in the first half, but Wilfried Zaha restored parity with 18 minutes remaining before Baris Yilmaz completed the comeback for the Lions with a late 89th-minute goal.
Gaziantep's struggles have seen them drop back into the relegation zone, occupying 17th place, just a point adrift of safety with 15 games left to play.
The Eagles will be back at home on Saturday, aiming to end their run of six league games without a win at the Gaziantep Stadium, which has made them the third-worst home side in the Super Lig.
Manager Marius Sumudica will hope his side can put an end to this frustrating run, but the task appears challenging as they face Kayserispor – a team they have not beaten in their last six encounters, losing the most recent three.
Meanwhile, Kayserispor finally saw an end to their eight-game losing streak across all competitions after salvaging a 1-1 draw against Antalyaspor on Monday.
The Anatolian Stars conceded first, with Sam Larsson finding the net for Antalya. However, Ali Karimi restored parity for Burak Yilmaz's men just after the hour mark, ensuring a share of the spoils.
The Kayseri-based side have now failed to win in nine games across all competitions, a run that saw their Turkish Cup campaign come to an end with a 2-1 defeat to second-tier Genclerbirligi on January 18th.
This dire run of form has been attributed to their recent defensive vulnerabilities, with Yilmaz's men conceding 21 goals in their last nine matches compared to keeping six clean sheets in the eight games prior.
Despite their recent dip in form, Kayserispor currently sit 12th in the Super Lig table, tied on points with 13th-placed Alanyaspor.
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Team News
Gaziantep will be without Max-Alain Gradel as the Ivorian is currently representing his country at the Africa Cup of Nations, which is being held on home soil.
Marko Jevtovic is also unavailable for this clash, as he serves a one-match suspension for accumulating yellow cards.
On the injury front, Nicolas N'Koulou, Omurcan Artan and Bryan Acosta are nursing muscle issues and are out of this fixture.
Experienced forward Stephane Bahoken will miss his third consecutive game for the visitors after coming off injured against Genclerbirligi on January 18.
He is joined on the Kayserispor injury table by Nigerian midfielder Antony Uzodimma, who has been sidelined since early December through a muscle problem.
Julian Jeanvier and Majid Hosseini are away on international duties with Guinea and Iran respectively, and will play no part in this game.
Gaziantep possible starting lineup:
Nita; Ersoy, Kizildag, Sorescu, Djilobodji, M'Bakata; Maxim, Eskihellac, Soyalp, Markovic; Dragus
Kayserispor possible starting lineup:
Bayazit; Sazdagi, Attamah, Kolovetsios, Carole; Karimi, Yilmaz; Mane, Morte, Civelek; Cardoso
We say: Gaziantep 1-1 Kayserispor
Neither team has set the world alight recently, with both struggling to find the net and win games. This encounter could be the perfect opportunity for them to turn things around, but given their current woes, a tight, low-scoring affair with the spoils shared seems the most probable result.
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