Hatayspor will continue their second-ever season in the Turkish Super Lig when they travel to Goztepe SK on Wednesday evening.
Separated by just two points in mid-table, the pair will both be keen on picking up a win to add to their points haul for the season so far.
Match preview
Following promotion to the top flight for the first time in 2020, Hatayspor were the shock package last season finishing in sixth.
Agonisingly missing out on qualification to the Europa Conference League by four points, Hatayspor have picked up from where they left off, losing only one of their first five Super Lig fixtures.
After a frustrating opening day draw to Kasimpasa, Hatayspor were then narrowly beaten by 23-times Turkish champions Galatasaray, before embarking on an impressive three-match winning streak.
Backing up an emphatic 5-0 victory over Alanyaspor with wins over Caykur Rizespor and Kayserispor, the Guneyin Yildizi will be confident of another impressive season.
The man responsible for their upturn in form is former Super Lig journeyman Omer Erdogan, who has enjoyed a stellar spell in charge of Hatayspor since taking over in August 2020.
Losing a respectable 14 of his 44 Super Lig matches in charge, the former Galatasaray player knows what it takes to succeed in the Turkish first tier, having lifted the Super Lig title in 2009-10.
Part of a Bursaspor side that were surprise winners of the Super Lig 11 years ago, Erdogan does have pedigree for being involved with sides that have outperformed expectations, with his Hatayspor team the latest edition.
Whilst the season may still be young, Hatayspor can take a further step towards making their European dream become a reality when they travel to Goztepe on Wednesday night.
In their fifth season since returning to the first tier in 2017, Goztepe have consistently finished in mid-table, all whilst consolidating themselves as a Super Lig club.
A Super Lig club for much of their early history, Goztepe had spent a number of decades in the wilderness, before earning promotion back to the top flight for the first time in 18 years during the 1999-00 season.
A further difficult spell ensued after the millennium, with Goztepe a third-tier club as recently as 2015, yet the team from just East of the Bosphorus Strait have stabilised themselves in past seasons.
Achieving just one finish above 10th in the Super Lig since 2017, Goztepe have once again got off to a steady start, picking up five points from a possible 15.
With their only win of the campaign so far coming against a struggling Istanbul Basaksehir, Goz Goz Goz will be confident of a victory against their midweek opponents, given their relatively strong head-to-head record.
Out of the three matches the pair have played against each other, Goztepe have won two, however that does include their first meeting as second division sides back in 2015.
Their most recent encounter in April saw Goztepe run out eventual 3-2 winners, in what turned out to be one of former boss Unal Karaman's final games in charge.
Now under the tutelage of Nestor El Maestro, the 38-year-old coach has fast-tracked his way to a job in European management after passing his UEFA B licence at the tender age of 16.
A league winner with Slovakian club Spartak Trnava in his first senior managerial role, the appropriately named El Maestro has since taken charge of CSKA Sofia and SK Sturm Graz, before being appointed as Goztepe boss earlier this month.
El Maestro will be looking to maintain his 100% home record as Goztepe coach when they welcome Hatayspor to the Gursel Aksel Stadium.
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Team News
Marko Mihojevic made 21 appearances in his first season with Goztepe last year, however is yet to feature for the club since picking up an injury at the backend of the 2020-21 campaign.
Ege Ozkayimoglu is unlikely to feature for Goztepe after suffering an injury in their recent defeat to Yeni Malatyaspor, yet the 21-year-old forward should be returning sooner rather than later.
Adis Jahovic has represented a whopping 14 teams throughout his 15-year career and the 34-year-old will be looking to back up his hat-trick in their last meeting when he lines up against Hatayspor on Wednesday.
After making his loan spell permanent in the summer, Cherif Ndiaye netted his first goal of the season in Goztepe's last match and the 25-year-old Senegalese striker will partner Jahovic upfront once again.
Fellow Senegalese forward Mame Biram Diouf netted twice for Hatayspor the last time these two met and the former Manchester United man has started the season in fine form, scoring twice already for Erdogan's men.
Hatayspor have already kept two clean sheets this season, boasting one of the division's strongest defences and that is in no small part to Munir Mohand Mohamedi, who has proved a shrewd acquisition since arriving from Malaga last season.
A Ligue 1 winner with Monaco in 2016-17, Adama Traore is yet to live up to the expectations placed on the Malian winger's shoulders, yet the now 26-year-old has impressed for the European hopefuls, scoring once and assisting a further two so far.
Goztepe SK possible starting lineup:
Egribayat; Emir, Demirtas, Arslanagic, Alici; Aydogdu, Nwobodo, Tijanic; Lourency, Ndiaye, Akbunar
Hatayspor possible starting lineup:
Munir; Corekci, Kurucuk, Oksuz, Adekugbe; Ergun, Ribeiro; El Kaabi, Traore, Kamara; Diouf
We say: Goztepe SK 0-2 Hatayspor
Supporters of Hatayspor may be forgiven for thinking life in the Super Lig is a piece of cake, given the success the Guneyin Yildizi have enjoyed since playing their first match in the division last season.
An outsider for a European spot come the end of the campaign, Goztepe will prove stern opposition for Erdogan's side, yet another three points looks to be on the cards for Hatayspor.
Top tip
Amos Murphy
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Goztepe SK win with a probability of 45.86%. A win for Hatayspor had a probability of 28.12% and a draw had a probability of 26%.
The most likely scoreline for a Goztepe SK win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.31%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.11%) and 2-0 (8.33%). The likeliest Hatayspor win was 0-1 (8.4%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.37%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with a 4.6% likelihood.
