Hatayspor will be looking to make it two wins from two in the Turkish Super Lig when they host Kasimpasa at the New Hatay Stadium on Saturday evening.
The hosts are top of the league table after an emphatic victory on the opening day, with the visitors currently sitting in third place.
Match preview
Hatayspor got off to the perfect start in their first match of the season in what was their first competitive outing since February, having had their previous season cut short due to the tragic events in Turkey.
The Star of the South ran out 5-1 winners away at Pendikspor, with summer signing Fisayo Dele-Bashiru netting a second-half brace on his competitive debut to secure all three points for his side.
Volkan Demirel's side also had a solid pre-season, winning three, drawing one and losing one of their five friendlies, with their only defeat coming against 2022-23 Serie A title-winners Napoli.
Hatayspor have been in fine form in recent weeks, recording a 6-1 victory against Salernitana and a 2-1 win against Antalyaspor in their final two pre-season games, but they are set to come up against another side who should be in high spirits.
Indeed, Kasimpasa also impressed in pre-season, winning three and drawing one of their friendly matches, concluding their preparations for the new season with a solid 3-0 victory against Umraniyespor.
The Apaches got off to a winning start in their first Turkish Super Lig match, defeating Ankaragucu 3-2 at home, but they did not make things easy for themselves, squandering a two-goal lead, which meant Mortadha Ben Ouanes had to pop up with a 93rd-minute winner.
It is Kemal Ozdes's first full season in charge of the side from Istanbul, having led them to a 10th-placed finish last season, after joining in April, although they were just three points above the relegation zone.
Ozdes got off to the perfect start to the new season, but he is now tasked with travelling to a ground his side lost at last season, with Hatayspor running out 1-0 winners at the beginning of February.
The New Hatay Stadium has not been a happy hunting ground for Kasimpasa since it opened in June 2021, losing one and drawing one of their matches at the ground, but they should be full of confidence after securing a dramatic late victory on the opening day of the campaign.
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Team News
Hatayspor still have a couple of players sidelined with injury, including defender Nikola Maksimovic, who has not been unavailable for selection since arriving from Genoa in the summer, meaning Burak Bekaroglu and Guy-Marcelin Kilama should play at centre-back.
Goalkeeper Abdullah Yigiter is also missing through injury, so Erce Kardesler is poised to keep his place between the sticks in what is likely to be an unchanged side, given the 5-1 victory on the opening day of the season.
Kasimpasa are unlikely to make any changes, considering they also picked up three points last time out, and they do not currently have any players missing due to injury.
Ozdes only made one substitute on the opening day, indicating he was very happy with his side's performance, with Mamadou Fall set to lead the line again after scoring against Ankaragucu, being supported by Dele-Bashiru in an advanced midfield role.
Hatayspor possible starting lineup:
Kardesler; Corekci, Bekaroglu, Kilama, Aksoy; Aburjania, Saglam, Strandberg, Dele-Bashiru, Fernandes; Yildirim
Kasimpasa possible starting lineup:
Gianniotis; Winck, Omeruo, Ozcan, Aksu; Gul, Kara, Ben Ouanes, Hajradinovic, Gomis; Fall
We say: Hatayspor 2-0 Kasimpasa
Hatayspor have a good record against Kasimpasa at home, winning two and drawing one of the previous three encounters, and they got off to a flying start to the Turkish Super Lig season, racking up a 5-1 victory over Pendikspor.
As such, we expect the hosts to record a fairly comfortable victory in what is set to be their first competitive home game in over six months.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Dominic Lund
