Sivasspor will look to arrest their alarming slide when they host Alanyaspor in round 19 of the Turkish Super Lig on Sunday.
The Yigidos enjoyed a solid start to the season, winning five of their first 11 league matches, but the victories have since dried up with just one win in their last six league outings.
Match preview
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Sivasspor have slipped perilously close to the relegation zone, sitting just three points and one place above the bottom four with 19 points from 17 matches.
The managerial change in December, which saw Omer Erdogan replace Bulent Uygun, has yet to spark a significant turnaround, with the Yigidos seeing their result gradually dwindle since he took over.
Erdogan's tenure began with a convincing 4-1 win over second-tier side Keciorengucu in the Turkish Cup, with a goalless draw against Samsunspor in the league following, and a narrow 1-0 loss to Besiktas in the Turkish Cup marking his other games in charge.
Sivasspor's home form provides little comfort, with the Yigidos winless in their last four matches on their turf, but snapping a seven-match unbeaten streak against Alanyaspor in the last installment of this fixture will leave them with some optimism.
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The visitors, meanwhile, will aim to sustain their recent upswing, having gone three league games unbeaten with two wins and a draw.
It has been a mixed start to 2025 for Sami Ugurlu's men who recorded a 2-1 win over Konyaspor in the league, before they were thrashed 3-0 by Trabzonspor in the Turkish Cup.
Currently mid-table with 21 points, Alanyaspor remain just a slip-up away from being dragged closer to the relegation battle, and defeat on Saturday could see this occur.
And while Alanyaspor's recent form is encouraging, their struggles on the road persist, with the visitors winless in their last six away games across all competitions and have managed just one victory in their previous 11 away outings, stretching back to last season.
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Team News
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Sivasspor will be without Rey Manaj, who is suspended, with Fode Koita expected to lead the attack, while Charis Charisis is also sidelined due to suspension, potentially opening the door for Azizbek Turgunboev to feature.
Young defender Mehmet Albayrak remains unavailable until March due to a cruciate ligament tear, though Uros Radakovic is back from suspension and could return to the starting lineup.
For Alanyaspor, Furkan Bayir is the sole absentee as the defender continues his recovery from an ankle injury with no confirmed return date.
Manager Ugurlu otherwise has a full-strength squad at his disposal, with no suspensions to contend with.
Sivasspor possible starting lineup:
Sasal; Paluli, Sundberg, Camara, Ciftci; Turgunboev, Moutoussamy; Bassan, Pritchard, Rodrigues; Balde
Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:
Taskiran; Hadergjonaj, Aliti, Coelho; Ozdemir; Makouta, Richard; Karaca, Janvier, Cordova; Hwang
We say: Sivasspor 1-1 Alanyaspor
Sivasspor and Alanyaspor are set for a closely fought encounter - with the home side struggling, while the visitors have been poor on the road, this matchup will most likely result in a low-scoring stalemate.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
