Kayserispor will be looking to continue their fantastic recent run of form, as they host Konyaspor at the Kadir Has Stadium in the Super Lig this Sunday.
The visitors are also challenging near the top end of the table and would overtake their opponents with a victory.
Match preview
Kayserispor made an inconsistent start to the season, winning two and losing three of their opening five games, as they struggled to put a run together in the early stages.
However, in fairness to Hikmet Karaman's side, they had extremely tough early fixtures, travelling to Besiktas, Istanbul Basaksehir and Fenerbahce in their opening three away trips.
These games against Turkey's elite clubs all ended in defeat, but the side from Kayseri have fared much better when playing teams below them in the league standings, winning their first three home games without conceding a goal.
The highlight of the season is most likely a 2-1 victory against Galatasaray at the Kadir Has Stadium, with first-half goals from Mario Gavranovic and Onur Bulut allowing them to survive a late onslaught from the visitors.
That victory was the first in Kayserispor's current six-game unbeaten run, most recently progressing in the Turkish Cup courtesy of a 1-0 victory against Sivas Belediyespor.
Konyaspor made a very solid start to the season, picking up four wins and two wins in their opening six games.
During this time, Ilhan Palut's men did not concede a single goal, and they have still only shipped eight in the league, boasting the joint-best defensive record.
However, the Green and Whites' defensive competency appears to be waning, conceding goals in their last five league outings, and letting in more than one for the first time in a 2-2 draw against Trabzonspor last time out.
When things start to become not as watertight at the back, the onus is on the strikers to provide more goals, but that has not been the case, scoring more than one goal in a league match on just one occasion all season.
There have also been issues for Konyaspor in terms of drawing too many games, sharing the spoils in four of their last five matches, as they have just lacked that killer instinct needed to win games.
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Team News
Kayserispor will continue to be without defender Joseph Attamah, as the midfielder has not featured for the club since May, with what is an unknown issue.
Moving into midfield, Arif Kocaman is still out with a groin issue, but he is making progress in his recovery and could return later this month.
There is also one player out in attack for Karaman's men, as long-term absentee Nurettin Korkmaz is unavailable due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
For Konyaspor, striker Uche Ikpeazu is serving the first game of his suspension, having been sent his marching orders in the recent game against Trabzonspor, so Mame Biram Diouf should lead the line.
The only player currently on the treatment table is midfielder Endri Cekici, who will be out until December due to a hamstring injury.
Kayserispor possible starting lineup:
Bayazit; Bulut, Kolovetsios, Hosseini, Carole; Campanharo, Pektemek, Mensah, Kemen, Sazdagi; Gavranovic
Konyaspor possible starting lineup:
Sehic; Oguz, Yazgili, Calvo, Haubert; Hadziahmetovic, Michalak, Paz, Dikmen, Bytyqi; Diouf
We say: Kayserispor 1-1 Konyaspor
The teams are only separated by two points in the league standings, and so it should play out as a closely-contested game. Not only that, but Konyaspor have drawn six games already this season, with three of their last five games ending 1-1, so we expect the same here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Dominic Lund
