Sivasspor will aim to end a wretched run of results in the Turkish Super Lig when they host a Samsunspor side that have also faltered lately, in Saturday's gameweek 17 clash at New Sivas 4 Eylul Stadium.
The away side should ideally be favourites heading into this, but the Red Lightning are entering this fixture with just one win in their last four league matches.
Match preview
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Sivasspor are in the midst of a dry spell and have not tasted victory in their last five Super Lig matches, losing four times and drawing once.
In their most recent setback, the Yigidos lost 2-0 to Bodrumspor, conceding both goals either side of Uros Radakovic's red card, which saw the team play the final 16 minutes of the game with 10 men.
Following this defeat, Bulent Uygun was dismissed, having left the team dangerously close to the relegation zone, with their 18 points placing them just three points above the drop zone, having played one game more than 16th-placed Kayserispor.
However, their home record provides some hope, as they have been strong on their own turf in this fixture, remaining unbeaten against Samsunspor at home since 2006, while picking up four more points on home soil compared to away matches in this campaign, having played an equal number of games in both settings.
Newly-appointed Omer Erdogan led the team to a morale-boosting 4-1 victory over second-division side Keciorengucu in a Turkish Cup fifth-round tie on Wednesday but the pressure is now on him to help the team snap out of this league drought in his first Super Lig game in charge, as they fight to avoid slipping further down the table.
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While they are in third place, far above where anyone would have predicted, Thomas Reis will be worried about his side's recent form, which has left them just four points above fifth-placed Goztepe.
Samsunspor won eight of their opening 11 matches, but the win over Bodrumspor is the only victory from their last four league matches, with an embarrassing 3-0 loss away at Eyupspor being their latest setback.
Even more damning for the Red Lightning is the fact that they were bundled out of the Turkish Cup after losing 4-2 at home to fourth-tier side Orduspor on December 3, a defeat that preceded the loss to Eyupspor.
Despite this poor streak, with the visitors boasting the third-best away record in the Super Lig, they will have enough belief to bounce back on their visit to Sivasspor.
Reis's men have lost only two matches on the road, though these were in their most recent two against Galatasaray and Eyupspor – they will be hoping to avoid three away defeats in a row and will fancy their chances against an out-of-form host.
Team News
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Sivasspor have two players suspended for this clash: Radakovic, who was sent off last time out and Azizbek Turgunboev, who accumulated an unhealthy number of yellow cards.
On the injury front, Samuel Moutoussamy (thigh) and Mehmet Albayrak (knee) are the two players sidelined, with the former expected back in January and the latter ruled out for the season.
Rey Manaj, who has scored four goals for the hosts – the most by any player in the team – is expected to retain his place as the focal point of the attack.
As for the visitors, 30-year-old winger Emre Kilinc is the only absentee, as he misses the game through suspension due to accumulated yellow cards.
Olivier Ntcham, Carlo Holse and Marius Mouandilmadji, who have all netted five league goals, are joint-top scorers in the Samsunspor side, and will all be expected to step up amidst the poor streak.
Sivasspor possible starting lineup:
Nikolic; Camara, Sundberg, Basyigit; Paluli, Charisis, Pritchard, Cifti; Koita, Manaj, Rodrigues
Samsunspor possible starting lineup:
Kocuk; Yavru, Satka, Drongelen, Bola; Ntcham, Bennasser; Schindler, Holse, Dimata; Mouandilmadji
We say: Sivasspor 0-1 Samsunspor
It has been a poor couple of weeks for Samsunspor, but their quality is not in doubt, and their recent losses have come against sides that are currently enjoying better runs.
We are predicting a narrow win for the visitors, as we believe that Sivasspor will not be able to contain the away side and are on a worse run of form.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
