Preview: Alanyaspor vs Antalyaspor - prediction, team news, lineups

Two sides looking to halt their respective winless runs in the Super Lig will face off on Monday as Alanyaspor welcome Antalyaspor to Alanya Oba Stadium.

The Thunders are without victory in their last five league outings (D3, L2), while the Scorpions have failed to secure a win in their last three (D1, L2).

Match preview

Alanyaspor’s campaign has been marked by inconsistency, but there is no denying that the Thunders can be a difficult proposition whenever in the right mood, especially against strong opposition.

Three wins in 14 outings in the Super Lig campaign include impressive successes against two of the current top six, Besiktas and Goztepe, while Joao Pereira’s men have also delivered solid performances even in demanding away fixtures.

Alanyaspor have taken points from visits to Fenerbahce (2-2) and Trabzonspor (1-1), so returning from the 19 Mayis Stadium with a 1-1 draw against Samsunspor last weekend might not be the most surprising outcome.

Still, head coach Pereira will welcome his team’s spirited display after a Guven Yalcin strike in stoppage time ensured they took something from a meeting where both stalemate specialists shared the spoils.

A league-high seven draws – jointly with Samsunspor – the aforementioned three victories, and four defeats from their opening 14 games place Alanyaspor 10th in the Super Lig standings, with a four-point cushion above the relegation spot.

Looking to move further away from danger and break into the top half of the table, taking maximum points on Monday carries significant weight for a side also seeking to halt its poor run, although an inconsistent home record of just two wins in six games (D2, L2) raises doubts over that ambition.

However, an emphatic triumph in their most recent outing could inspire belief after Alanyaspor secured a 5-0 success in their Turkish Cup visit to lower league side Corum on Thursday, in an encounter where Steve Mounie netted four following Uchenna Ogundu’s opener.

Antalyaspor are also coming off a cup win, having edged past lower league side Silifke in a narrow success where a Samuel Ballet strike in the 19th minute proved the only goal of the encounter.

Back in the Super Lig, the Scorpions aim to arrest their slide after extending their winless run to three with last weekend’s 2-1 home loss to Goztepe, where a Veysel Sari opener in the 40th minute was not enough for Erol Bulut’s men, who conceded twice after the interval.

Akrepler have now lost eight of their 14 league games this season – only the bottom two sides suffering more defeats – while four wins and two draws in that sequence place the Akrepler 13th in the top-flight standings, with just a two-point cushion above the drop zone.

Central to the Scorpions’s difficulties is a fragile defence that has conceded 25 goals, with only relegation-placed sides Kayserispor (31) and Fatih Karagumruk (26) letting in more, while Antalyaspor’s attacking output has lacked punch, with 14 scored at the other end.

However, recent games on the road have shown defensive improvements; the visitors have kept clean sheets in their last three away fixtures, including league encounters against Eyupspor (1-0) and Konyaspor (0-0), so they should hold optimism heading into Monday’s encounter.

Recent head-to-head records add another layer of belief, with three wins from the last five meetings with Alanyaspor (D2), including 2-1 victories across both encounters last season.

Alanyaspor Turkish Super Lig form:

Alanyaspor form (all competitions):

Antalyaspor Turkish Super Lig form:

Antalyaspor form (all competitions):

Team News

Alanyaspor have several absentees for this game, with Izzet Celik, Enes Keskin, Yusuf Ozdemir and Bedirhan Ozyurt all suspended due to their roles in the Turkish football betting scandal.

Umit Akdag will also play no part in this encounter after picking up his fourth booking of the campaign in the draw against Samsunspor.

On the injury front, Buluthan Bulut will continue his recovery from a long-term knee issue, while Bruno Viana is expected to miss out once again.

Following his four-goal haul, Mounie could return to lead the line in a Super Lig encounter for just the second time this season, meaning Meschack Elia could make way.

Meanwhile, Antalyaspor remain without young forward Kerem Kayaarasi, who is serving a 45-day suspension related to the betting scandal.

Erdogan Yesilyurt remains sidelined with a long-term injury, goalkeeper Julian Cuesta is still short of match fitness, Georgiy Dzhikiya could be absent for a fourth consecutive outing, and Yakub Ilcin is also set to miss a seventh straight appearance.

Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:

Taskiran; Lima, Aliti, Aksoy; Ruan, Makouta, Maestro, Hadergjonaj; Hwang, Hagi; Mounie

Antalyaspor possible starting lineup:

Yigiter; Balci, Turkmen, Sari, Karakoc, Paal; Omur, Safuric, Ceesay, Storm; Boli

We say: Alanyaspor 2-2 Antalyaspor

Both teams will aim to ride the momentum from their respective cup victories, though a balanced contest appears likely, especially considering Alanyaspor’s tendency for stalemates this season.

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