Alanyaspor host Giresunspor at Bahcesehir Okullari Stadium on Sunday, with just one point separating the two sides.
Hakan Keles will be the happier manager with his team sitting 12th in the table after their 16th-placed finish last season, whereas Francesco Farioli will be looking for improvement from 11th after an impressive fifth-placed finish last season.
Match preview
The international break came at a good time for Alanyaspor after suffering a tough 5-0 defeat against Fenerbahce, which added to the 10 goals they have already conceded this season, making their defence the joint-worst in the league.
Francesco Farioli's side are not known for having the best defensive unit as they conceded the most goals in the top 10 last season. Two key pieces of that defence left in the transfer window too, both Juanfran and Nemanja Milunovic departing the club on free transfers.
Scoring has also been an issue for Alanyaspor, who have only found the back of the net four times in their last five fixtures.
Top scorer from last season Famara Diedhiou has not appeared in the league this season due to injury, and Wilson Eduardo has taken up the mantle of leading the line with limited success so far, only scoring twice in six appearances.
Egyptian forward Koka came in up front for the fixture against Fenerbahce after scoring in the previous game off the bench and could provide competition for that forward spot now.
Midfielder Efkan Bekiroglu has been chipping in with goals from midfield and is the team's current top scorer with three, including one in their last victory against Ankaragucu.
Giresunspor returned to the Turkish top flight last season and, after maintaining their place in the division, they have made a solid start to this year's campaign.
However, after picking up six points in their opening three games, they are now on a run of three games without a victory.
Unlike their opponents, Halan Keles's side have made a solid start defensively to this season, posting the sixth-best defence in the league, only conceding eight goals in their opening six games.
Confidence in this backline is clear as the goalkeeper and three out of the four defenders have been on the pitch for every minute of the season so far.
This is an even more impressive start to the season as they lost some key cogs to their defensive unit in the transfer window, midfielder Hamidou Traore and left-back Aziz Behich both leaving.
Goals have been hard to come by for Giresunspor, who have netted the fewest in the top 12 with only five from their six games, and that will be a cause of concern for Halan Keles.
Top scorer from last season Umut Nayir left the club in the summer, with new signing Riad Bajic from Udinese so far only scoring twice.
The settled defensive unit should ease the pressure on Bajic to score and give him more time to settle in the league, while young midfielder Borja Sainz also contributing with two goals so far this season should ease the burden on him.
Team News
With Senegalese striker Famara Diedhiou still missing, Francesco Farioli will have to decide who he wants to lead the line.
So far Wilson Eduardo has been the preferred choice but, in their most recent fixture, Koka started up top and will hope to have done enough to retain his place.
Expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, which has been their preferred choice so far, Alanyaspor could be without a few players from the side that started against Fenerbahce.
Defender Fatih Aksoy is reportedly carrying a knock, as well as left midfielder Zinedine Ferhat, who was subbed off in the previous game.
A majority of the positions in the Giresunspor lineup are pretty solidified, with the only decision in defence being the choice of either Ramon Arias, which seems more likely, or Sergen Picinciol.
The defensive midfield positions in the 4-2-3-1, which Keles's side have played all season, seem to be the places the most up for grabs.
Four different players have played the two positions in the last two games, with Jorman Campuzano and Vukan Savicevic starting the previous game.
Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:
Runarsson; Balkovec, Rassoul, Bayir, Pereira; Gunes, Bekiroglu, Aydin, Karaca, Candeias; Eduardo
Giresunspor possible starting lineup:
Piri; Uludag, Perez, Arias, Bilazer, Campuzano, Savicevic, Sainz, Mejia, Serginho; Bajic
We say: Alanyaspor 1-1 Giresunspor
Overall, there is little to separate the two sides, as shown by the league table. Even though the Alanyaspor defence seems prone to conceding a lot of goals, Giresunspor may not have the attacking strength to take advantage of their fragility.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
