Trabzonspor will host Gaziantep on Sunday with both teams looking to continue their strong starts to the season as they aim to push towards the European positions.
There is very little to separate the two of them right now in the Turkish Super Lig table, with the hosts trailing their opponents by just a single point.
Match preview
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Trabzonspor have put together an impressive start to the season with a trio of victories, a draw, and a couple of defeats across their six opening matches.
The results have left them eighth in the table, and their performances have showcased plenty of potential to push themselves further moving forwards.
Their most recent league game was a five-goal thriller which saw them come out on the wrong side after they conceded in the 94th minute.
However, the Turkish squad wasted no time in getting back on track in their Europa League game against Red Star Belgrade with a 2-1 victory.
Despite the fact that they secured a win, Trabzonspor will be wary of the fact that once again they conceded late on, this time in the 89th minute, with concentration proving to be an issue.
The visitors kickstarted their campaign in a strong manner with an undefeated start across their first four matches, but that is something that changed in their following two encounters.
Because of that Gaziantep head into this one off the back of two matches without a win after being defeated by Galatasaray and then a draw against Umraniyespor.
The recent 1-1 result is one that likely frustrated the squad considering the fact they were winning until the 90th minute when they conceded an equaliser after giving away a penalty.
Despite the late goal, Gaziantep were still able to take a point away, and that is the difference between the and their opponents this weekend in the league.
A victory in this match could see the squad make a strong climb up the table, as they only trail the league leaders by three points right now.
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Team News
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Maxi Gomez continued to be used as the lead striker for Trabzonspor in midweek, and while he did not find the back of the net it is likely he will keep his place.
Trezeguet did score in that game though, and his attacking qualities from the midfield will likely come into play again on Sunday.
Joao Figueiredo has been a key threat for the visitors this season, and with four goals to his name already he is set to lead the line for his team this weekend.
Alexandru Maxim will probably find himself just behind him in the number 10 role as a playmaker, especially after getting on the scoresheet last weekend.
Trabzonspor possible starting lineup:
Cakir; Larsen, Bartra, Hugo, Elmali; Gbamin; Trezeguet, Bakasetas, Bozok, Bardhi; Gomez
Gaziantep possible starting lineup:
Guvenc; Kitsiou, Ersoy, Djilobodji, Hanousek; Jevtovic; Eskihellac, Parmak, Maxim, Sagal; Figueiredo
We say: Trabzonspor 2-2 Gaziantep
At the moment there is very little to separate these two teams in the league table, and that is something that will likely be reflected in this match on Sunday.
They have both shown attacking qualities, and the match should be an open one that could lead to plenty of goals taking place.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
