Sivasspor will look to extend their run of four unbeaten games when they take on direct rivals in the league standings in Kasimpasa at BG Group 4 Eylul Stadyumu on Sunday, as victory would see the home team move past the visitors in the Super Lig table.
Only two points separate Sunday's rivals, but a win could see Kasimpasa climb to fifth place, while seventh is the highest Sivasspor could end the weekend if results fall kindly for them.
Match preview
© Reuters
Sivasspor will go into this game in high spirits, as they ended a five-game winless streak with a 3-2 away win over Pendikspor just before the international break.
It was the first win in almost two months, as an away win against Gaziantep was followed by two defeats and three draws, which saw Sivasspor slip into the bottom half of the table
Servet Cetin's team have done much better away from home this Super Lig season, winning two of their four games and picking up a total of seven points, putting them in third place in the away record behind league giants Fenerbahce and Galatasaray.
However, the team's home record is much more worrying, with no wins in four games - draws against Samsunspor, Antalyaspor and Hatayspor – and only three goals scored, giving them the third worst goalscoring record.
The visitors, on the other hand, after two straight wins against Adana Demirspor and Fatih Karagumruk, had to experience a reality check when they suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Super Lig leaders Fenerbahce just before the international break.
That defeat ended a run of three unbeaten games in which the team displayed an impressive flow of play on the offensive end, scoring eight goals to more than double their previous tally of five goals prior to the successful run.
A defeat to Fenerbahce might have dampened the mood ahead of Sunday's game, but confidence can be instantly boosted by the fact that Kasimpasa are one of only four teams still unbeaten away from home this season.
Kemal Ozdes' side are pretty tough for the home side to crack, as they are one of the strongest defensively in the league, conceding just five goals in all of their away games.
Team News
Defender Samba Camara is the only injury absentee for Sivasspor ahead of Sunday's match, although Charis Charisis will miss the game through suspension.
The hosts are led this season by attacking midfielder Samu Saiz, who has already scored three goals in eight games and is the biggest offensive threat alongside Rey Manaj, who scored in the last game against Pendikspor.
Kasimpasa are also more or less injury-free before the match, with only Mamadou Fall currently out with a thigh injury.
Midfielder Aytac Kara is the one to watch on Sunday, as he is Kasimpasa's top scorer with six goals in eight games and could be the deciding factor for the visitors.
Sivasspor possible starting lineup:
Vural; Kapacak, Appindangoye, Osmanpasa, Ciftci; Konak, Bassan, Kvet, Saiz, Barrow; Manaj
Kasimpasa possible starting lineup:
Gianniotis; Winck, Omeruo, Ciftpinar, Ozcan; Gul, Hajradinovic, Bastien, Kara, Ben Quanes; Ngoy
We say: Sivasspor 1-1 Kasimpasa
Sivasspor are still looking for their first home win of the season and want to extend their unbeaten streak to four games.
Kasimpasa, on the other hand, are still unbeaten away from home and have a red-hot attacker in Kara in their ranks, and he could prevent Sivasspor's first win in front of a home crowd if he again proves his goalscoring qualities on Sunday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
