Preview: Kocaelispor vs Antalyaspor - prediction, team news, lineups

Sitting comfortably in mid-table, Kocaelispor welcome Antalyaspor to the Yildiz Entegre Kocaeli Stadium on Friday evening, looking to maintain their strong home form in the Turkish Super Lig.

Selcuk Inan’s side are unbeaten in their last six matches across all competitions (3W, 3D) and face a Scorpions outfit enduring a difficult spell, having failed to win any of their last five league matches (2D, 3L).

Match preview

Kocaelispor have enjoyed an encouraging return to the top flight after spending 16 consecutive seasons in the lower divisions following their relegation.

While expectations were modest at the outset, the Gulf have largely exceeded them as the campaign has progressed, and now they can afford to dream bigger.

The season did begin awkwardly for Inan’s men, who failed to register a win in their opening seven league fixtures (2D, 5L) – however, that slow start was followed by a significant upturn in form, with five victories from the subsequent nine league matches lifting them clear of danger and into the top half.

More recently, momentum has slowed, with Kocaelispor drawing three of their last four league games – back-to-back stalemates against Kasimpasa and Fatih Karagumruk have highlighted that dip, with the latter proving particularly frustrating.

Trailing for much of the contest, it required a 93rd-minute strike from Bruno Petkovic to salvage a point after they fell behind five minutes after the hour mark.

The return to home soil could prove timely, with Kocaelispor having built much of their success at the Yildiz Entegre Kocaeli Stadium, where four of their league wins have come.

They are unbeaten in seven home league matches (4W, 3D) and have not tasted defeat there since the opening-weekend loss to Samsunspor.

This fixture marks their first top-flight meeting with Antalyaspor since 2009, when Kocaelispor claimed a 1-0 home win, though the sides did meet more recently in the Turkish Cup in January, an encounter that ended in a 3-1 victory for the Antalya outfit.

Antalyaspor arrive as underdogs and in worrying league form, currently enduring a five-match winless run for the second time this season.

A similar slump earlier in the campaign saw them collect just one point from five matches between September and October (1D, 4L).

Their only win since early November came in the Turkish Cup, a narrow 1-0 success against lower-league Silifke, though league outings have continued to disappoint after that, with a goalless draw against Alanyaspor followed by a heavy 4-1 home defeat to Galatasaray last time out.

That run has dragged the Scorpions to within touching distance of the relegation zone – with 15 points from 16 matches, they sit just one point above the bottom three and could head into the winter break in serious trouble if they fail to collect a result here.

However, there is some encouragement to be found away from home, with Antalyaspor unbeaten in their last four competitive away matches (2W, 2D), three of which have come in the league, and three of their four Super Lig victories this season have been recorded on the road.

Kocaelispor Turkish Super Lig form:

Antalyaspor Turkish Super Lig form:

Antalyaspor form (all competitions):

Team News

Kocaelispor will again be without Mateusz Wieteska, who continues his recovery from a long-term knee injury and is not expected to return until the new year.

Midfielder Show also misses out after linking up with the Angola national team ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations, which begins on December 21.

Petkovic will once again be the focal point in attack, as the Croatian leads the team for shots on target per match (1.1) and is Kocaelispor’s top scorer in the league with five goals.

Antalyaspor remain without young forward Kerem Kayaarasi, who is suspended due to his involvement in the betting scandal.

Erdogan Yesilyurt is sidelined with a long-term injury, first-choice goalkeeper Julian Cuesta is also unavailable, while defender Georgiy Dzhikiya has missed the last five matches and is not expected to return in time for this fixture.

Kocaelispor possible starting lineup:

Jovanovic; Oguz, Balogh, Smolcic, Haidara; Linetty, Keita; Agyei, Bingol, Churlinov; Dursun

Antalyaspor possible starting lineup:

Yigiter; Turkmen, Giannetti, Sari; Paal, Safouri, Ceesay, Baalci; Ballet, Storm; Boli

We say: Kocaelispor 1-1 Antalyaspor

Kocaelispor boast a solid home record heading into this encounter, drawing confidence from consistent performances in familiar surroundings.

However, Antalyaspor have shown renewed resilience away from home, picking up important results on their travels. With both sides carrying form and belief, this matchup looks finely balanced and could be decided by small margins.

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