Fenerbahce will continue their pursuit of a Champions League place when they visit mid-table Kayserispor on Saturday afternoon.
Sitting third in the Super Lig, Fenerbahce will need to bridge the gap to second if they are to return to Europe's most prestigious competition.
Match preview
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Given the misfortunes of their rivals and record Turkish champions Galatasaray this season, Fenerbahce may have been confident of a clean run to the title.
That has not been the case however, as Trabzonspor lead the way at the top of the table, with Konyaspor a surprise inclusion in the second Champions League qualification spot.
Nevertheless, a chance for Fenerbahce to jump into the top two still remains, with the gap to themselves and Konyapsor in second just two points.
Fenerbahce may have made the jump much earlier had their form not been as shaky for the most part of the campaign.
Having won just one of their six matches between mid-December and late January, hopes of a Champions League berth looked to be sliding away for the Yellow Canaries.
A run of a four wins from their last six games however has catapulted them back into contention, with Fenerbahce's sights firmly set on Konyaspor.
Looking to put an end to Fenerbahce's unbeaten run this weekend will be Kayserispor, who enter the final part of the campaign free from the threat of relegation.
While their run of four straight defeats might make for tough reading, Kayserispor currently sit 14th in the table and boast a nine-point buffer between themselves and the bottom four.
However, much of their poor form has come on the road, with Kayserispor having only lost two of their last 14 home matches across all competitions.
Winning six of their last eight in that time, Kayserispor will be eyeing up another three points against a side that they have experienced trouble in beating during the past.
Winless in their previous four league meetings against Fenerbahce, should Kayserispor triumph over the Turkish giants this weekend, it will be their first victory against the Istanbul-based outfit since November 2019.
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Team News
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Enjoying a relatively clean bill of health ahead of the weekend's clash, Fenerbahce boss Ismail Kartal will no doubt welcome the challenge of Kayserispor on Saturday.
The only absentee as far as Fenerbahce are concerned comes in the shape of Attila Szalai, who is expected to be missing until mid-April at the earliest.
Mesut Ozil will start in the heart of Fenerbahce's midfield, with Diego Rossi looking to continue his impressive season on loan from Los Angeles FC with another strong performance.
Injuries have not been an issue for Kayserispor in recent weeks, with a full squad expected to be available on Saturday afternoon.
Expect Mario Gavranovic to lead to line for Kayserispor as the striker looks to add to his 10 goals for the campaign.
Kayserispor possible starting lineup:
Bayazit; Bulut, Demirok, Hosseini, Civelek; Cardoso, Akdag, Parmak, Thiam; Gavranovic, Bertolacci
Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:
Bayindir; Osayi-Samuel, Aziz, Kim, Guler; Crespo, Zajc; Khaveci, Ozil, Rossi; Dursun
We say: Kayserispor 1-3 Fenerbahce
Champions League qualification remains a real possibility for Fenerbahce, who will feel confident about catching second-placed Konyaspor.
Three points for Fenerbahce appears the most likely outcome heading into this clash, with the result likely to go the way of the visitors.
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 Fenerbahce win with a probability of 43.3%. A win for Kayserispor had a probability of 31.62% and a draw had a probability of 25.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Fenerbahce win was 0-1 with a probability of 9.35%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.03%) and 0-2 (7.13%). The likeliest Kayserispor win was 1-0 (7.77%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.84%). The actual scoreline of 0-4 was predicted with a 1.4% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Fenerbahce would win this match.
