Ankaragucu and Antalyaspor are separated by a solitary point in the Turkish Super Lig table ahead of their showdown at the Eryaman Stadium on Wednesday evening.
There is no hiding the fact that Ankaragucu and Antalyaspor have struggled for consistency throughout this season, but both sides will be hopeful of finishing the campaign on a positive note.
Match preview
Ankaragucu find themselves seven points outside the relegation zone following last week's 2-0 defeat at Trabzonspor, with Greek right-back Stelios Kitsiou picking up a red card after just 10 minutes, leaving his side with a mountain to climb.
In fact, the visitors failed to register a single attempt on target against Trabzonspor, who claimed all three points thanks to a brace from Umut Bozok.
Ankaragucu head into Wednesday's clash on the back of successive losses, having suffered a 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their Turkish Cup semi-final clash with Istanbul Basaksehir, meaning that Tolunay Kafkas's men have failed to win any of their last three matches across all competitions.
When you look at the bigger picture, the club from the capital have lost 10 of their previous 17 Super Lig encounters, while they were also awarded a 3-0 win over Hatayspor, who withdrew from this season's competition after the devastating earthquakes earlier this year.
On a brighter note, Ankaragucu have taken 10 points from their last four home league games, with victories over Alanyaspor, Istanbulspor and Giresunspor preceding a goalless draw with Kasimpasa.
Although Antalyaspor lead Ankaragucu in the standings, Nuri Sahin's side have been wildly inconsistent throughout 2022-23, registering 10 wins, six draws and 15 losses in the league this term.
It is also worth pointing out that Antalyaspor have recorded five wins, five draws and six defeats across their previous 16 Super Lig matches, underlining the team's unpredictability.
The Scorpions enter Wednesday's showdown on the back of a 3-1 defeat to high-flying Besiktas, who came from a goal down at Corendon Airlines Park to snatch the points last weekend, with Vincent Aboubakar bagging a second-half brace.
Granted, Antalyaspor are unbeaten in their last three away games, with draws at Konyaspor and Istanbulspor preceding a 1-0 victory over Fatih Karagumruk, but Sahin's men have managed to win just one of their previous 10 matches on the road.
Having won only three of their 15 away league games this season – suffering eight defeats in the process – Antalyaspor will struggle to leave the capital with all three points on Wednesday.
Team News
Ankaragucu will be without the suspended Stelios Kitsiou on Wednesday following his red card in last week's loss at Trabzonspor, meaning that Kevin Malcuit will likely deputise at right-back.
With the defensive duo of Hasan Ali Kaldirim (muscle) and Uros Radakovic (knee) also sidelined through injury, Tolunay Kafkas will have to field a makeshift backline for the foreseeable future.
Nihad Mujakic, Atakan Cankaya and Arda Kizildag are expected to occupy the centre-back spots, with Gambian forward Ali Sowe leading the line at the opposite end of the pitch.
Antalyaspor will also have to make do without a key player due to suspension, as midfielder Bunyamin Balci picked up a red card in last weekend's defeat to Besiktas.
On top of that, there are question marks over the availability of Fedor Kudryashov (muscle) and Mustafa Erdilman (personal reasons), who have both been absent since January.
Sheral Floranus looks set to replace the suspended Balci, while Angolan forward Fredy will support top scorer Haji Wright, who has netted 15 goals in 25 Super Lig appearances this term.
Ankaragucu possible starting lineup:
Akkan; Kizildag, Cankaya, Mujakic; Malcuit, Dokanvic, Antalyali, Hanousek; Kilinc, Zahid; Sowe
Antalyaspor possible starting lineup:
Leite; Floranus, Sari, Toprak, Sertel; Rakip, Fernando; Sinik, Fredy, Larsson; Wright
We say: Ankaragucu 1-1 Antalyaspor
Given that both sides have struggled for consistency in recent months – and throughout the 2022-23 campaign for that matter – we expect Ankaragucu and Antalyaspor to cancel each other out at the Eryaman Stadium.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Morris
