Preview: Gaziantep vs Kayserispor - prediction, team news, lineups

Gaziantep welcome Kayserispor to the Gaziantep Stadyumu on Monday evening for the final fixture of Turkish Super Lig round 30, with the visitors aiming for a rare win to boost their survival hopes.

While the hosts are aiming to secure a comfortable mid-table finish, the visitors arrive in a far more desperate situation, needing points urgently to escape the relegation zone and preserve their decade-long top-flight status.

Match preview

Gaziantep come into this encounter 11th in the standings with 34 points from 29 matches, sitting 11 points clear of the bottom three and largely safe heading into the closing weeks.

However, their recent form has been underwhelming, with just one win in their last nine matches across all competitions (3D, 5L) – a run that includes a heavy 4-0 Turkish Cup defeat to Fenerbahce, alongside inconsistent league performances.

They are currently on a three-match winless streak in the league, following a 4-1 loss to Fenerbahce, a 1-1 draw with Alanyaspor and most recently a 2-1 defeat at Caykur Rizespor.

That latest loss proved decisive, as manager Burak Yilmaz resigned after the match, citing internal frustrations and officiating concerns — comments that have since led to disciplinary action.

An interim coach will now take charge, but a swift turnaround may be difficult given Gaziantep’s struggles at home, where they have won just one of their last five league matches.

Defensively, they remain vulnerable, having failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 14 matches across all competitions, despite managing to score regularly.

Still, their recent record against Kayserispor offers encouragement, as they are unbeaten in their last four meetings, winning the last two by an aggregate score of 4-0.

Kayserispor, meanwhile, are in a far more precarious position, sitting inside the relegation zone after 29 matches, two points from safety with time running out.

Their form has been poor, losing four of their last five matches, including a heavy 4-0 defeat to Fenerbahce in their most recent outing.

Although they did secure a crucial 1-0 win over Fatih Karagumruk during that stretch, consistency has been a major issue, reflected in their tally of just four league wins all season.

On the road, Kayserispor have shown some resilience, drawing eight of their 15 away matches, but their inability to convert draws into wins — with just one away victory — continues to hinder their survival push.

Historically, this has also been a difficult venue for them, with just one Super Lig win in six visits to Gaziantep (3L, 2D), showing the scale of the challenge before them despite the form of their hosts.

Gaziantep Turkish Super Lig form:

Gaziantep form (all competitions):

Kayserispor Turkish Super Lig form:

Team News

Gaziantep will be without Ali Mevran Ablak and Salem M'Bakata due to long-term knee injuries, while Ogun Ozcicek is also sidelined.

Melih Kabasakal is suspended, and both Christopher Lungoyi and Badou Ndiaye are doubts for the match.

Kayserispor will be without Abdulsamet Burak due to suspension, while Lionel Carole, Yigit Celtik and Majid Hosseini are all sidelined with injuries.

Meanwhile, Kayra Cihan is nearing a return having missed the most part of the campaign with injury, but he remains a doubt for this encounter.

Gaziantep possible starting lineup:

Gorgen; Kilzidag, Sanuc, Abena; Perez, Gassama, Camara, Kabadayi; Kozlowski, Maxim; Bayo

Kayserispor possible starting lineup:

Bayazit; Brenet, Denswil, Guler, Civelek; Bennasser, Benes; Soyalp, Cardoso, Makarov; Chalov

We say: Gaziantep 2-1 Kayserispor

With both sides under pressure, this is likely to be a tense and competitive encounter, but Gaziantep's superior league position and attacking output give them a slight edge.

Kayserispor's desperation could make them dangerous, but their defensive frailties and poor recent form suggest the hosts should have enough quality to secure a vital victory.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.