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

Seeking to secure their first league victory since October, Konyaspor go head to head with Kayserispor in round 17 of the Turkish Super League on Saturday afternoon.

Radomir Dalovic’s men, meanwhile, will be out to end their away hoodoo in this fixture, having failed to win any of their last six visits to the Konya Buyuksehir Belediyesi Stadium since February 2019.

Match preview

Konyaspor’s run of two wins and one draw from their first three games this season now feels a distant memory, as Cagdas Atan’s side have tumbled into the bottom half of the table with just two wins from their subsequent 13 matches.

While breaching opposition defences has come with relative ease for the Konya outfit, who have made the net ripple 20 times in the league alone, their struggles have come at the back, where they have conceded the fourth-highest number of goals so far (28).

Their vulnerability in defence was highlighted last weekend, when goals from Mert Muldur, Marco Asensio and a brace from 31-year-old Anderson Talisca fired Fenerbahce to a comfortable 4-0 victory in their league clash at the Chobani Stadium.

The defeat against Fenerbahce means Konyaspor failed to taste victory in six consecutive matches, losing four and claiming two draws since a 2-1 win over Genclerbirligi on October 26 — their sole victory in 10 league matches since the end of September.

The Anatolian Eagle have picked up 16 points from their 16 Super Lig matches so far to sit 12th in the league standings, two points and four places above this weekend’s visitors in the relegation zone.

Kayserispor were involved in a share of the spoils for a second consecutive game last Saturday as they played out a goalless draw with Alanyaspor when the two sides squared off at the Kadir Has Stadium.

A combined 24 shots were fired in an action-packed contest, but neither goalkeeper would end up picking the ball out of the back of the net, as both sides failed to tuck home several clear-cut chances before settling for a share of the spoils.

While it was two more points dropped for Kayserispor, there are clear signs of progress for Kayserispor, who are now unbeaten in three straight league matches, claiming one win and two draws, having failed to win 12 of the first 13 matches this season.

While they will look to keep moving in the right direction and pull clear of the danger zone, improvements are needed on the road, where Dalovic’s men have failed to win 12 of their 13 matches across all competitions, including five defeats, since April.

Konyaspor Turkish Super Lig form:

Konyaspor form (all competitions):

Kayserispor Turkish Super Lig form:

Kayserispor form (all competitions):

Team News

Konyaspor remain without the services of Adil Demirbag and 28-year-old attacker Alassane Ndao, who have been suspended by the Turkish Football Federation over betting scandals.

On the injury front, Ufuk Akyol is currently recuperating from a severe knee injury, while Curacao defender Riechedly Bazoer has missed the last six matches since coming off injured against Samsunspor in November.

As for Kayserispor, they head into the weekend with a lengthy injury list, as the likes of Gideon Jung, Majid Hosseini and 26-year-old midfielder Yaw Ackah continue their spells on the sidelines.

Burak Kapacak and French defender Lionel Carole have both been ruled out through hamstring injuries, while Yigit Emre Celtic continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines through a cruciate ligament injury.

Abdulsamet Burak has also missed the last five matches since his suspension by the TFF over gambling, and the 29-year-old defender is also out of contention for this weekend's tie.

Konyaspor possible starting lineup:

Gungordu; Eris, Yazgili, Subasi, Haubert; Jo, Ibrahimoglu; Bjorlo, Bardhi, Pedrinho; Nayir

Kayserispor possible starting lineup:

Bayazit; Civelek, Denswil, Cihan, Kocaman; Benes, Bennasser; Korkmaz, Tokoz, Cardoso; Onugkha

We say: Konyaspor 1-0 Kayserispor

With just two points separating Konyaspor and Kayserispor in the bottom half of the table, we expect them to go all out this weekend as they look to put together a run of results in the league.

Home advantage gives Konyaspor an edge here, and given Dalovic’s men’s run of results away record in this fixture, we fancy them to come away with the desired result.

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