A mid-table clash in the Super Lig will see Sivasspor welcome Kasimpasa this weekend, with the visitors looking to leapfrog the hosts in the standings.
Separated by a singular point, Kasimpasa will jump ahead of Sivasspor with a victory at the Yeni Sivas 4 Eylul Stadyumu.
Match preview
Having ultimately fallen short of taking their push for a European position into the final few weekends of the season, Sivasspor will be forced to settle for a respectable mid-table finish come the end of the campaign.
Having won 12, drawn 12 and lost 11 of their 35 Super Lig matches so far, Sivasspor's results are about as consistent as you could hope for.
Granted, their inability to turn draws into victories has hindered them from competing higher up the table, yet Sivasspor will be confident of finishing the season strong.
Winners in each of their previous two league outings, Sivasspor enter the weekend in promising form, having beaten record Turkish champions Galatasaray in their last league match.
Hoping to blunt the hosts' progression will be Kasimpasa, who despite starting the weekend below Sivasspor in the table have actually picked up more wins than the Braves this season.
It is a hefty total of 14 losses across their 35 Super Lig matches this season that has cost Kasimpasa dearly, with only five other teams in the division having been defeated more times.
The weekend loss to Istanbul Basaksehir somewhat epitomised their campaign, with Kasimpasa succumbing to a frustrating 3-2 defeat.
Like their hosts, a lack of victories has prevented them from breaking out of the Super Lig's middle-classes and competing for a European berth, yet a mid-table finish is not to be scoffed at for Kasimpasa.
Yet, things may get worse for Kasimpasa before they get any better, as they boast just one win against Sivasspor since August 2018.
A run of six matches has seen Kasimpasa win just one of their head-to-heads, with Sivasspor hoping to notch up a second win of the campaign against the visitors having prevailed in the reverse fixture earlier this season.
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Team News
As the season begins to draw to a close, ensuring players avoid any unnecessary injuries will be of paramount concern to both sets of managers.
For Kasimpasa, they are already without two long-term injury absentees, as both Uros Spajic and Tarkan Serbest continue their recovery from anterior cruciate ligament problems.
While not expected to be out for as long as Spajic or Serbest, Sakib Aytac will also miss the weekend fixture with the defender struggling with a niggle.
Without any current injury woes to report, Sivasspor should be able to call upon a full squad for Saturday's fixture, with Mustafa Yatabare likely to be the hosts' focal point in attack.
Yatabare has netted 10 times this season, including in last week's 3-2 win over Galatasaray, with the striker set to be joined in attack by former Bournemouth and Leeds United winger Max Gradel.
Sivasspor possible starting lineup:
Sasal; Oguz, Appindangoye, Osmanpasa, Ciftci; Arslan, Ulvestad; Gradel, Fajr, Yesilyurt; Yatabare
Kasimpasa possible starting lineup:
Taskiran; Hadergjonaj, Donk, Brecka, Elmali; Haspolat, Eysseric, Hajradinovic; Fall, Mabil, Muleka
We say: Sivasspor 1-1 Kasimpasa
Little to separate the two sides in the current Super Lig table, a tight affair is expected when they meet this weekend.
No team have drawn more matches than Sivasspor this season, with another stalemate likely when Kasimpasa visit on Saturday.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats, suggests the most likely outcome of this match is a Sivasspor win with a probability of 45.43%. A win for Kasimpasa has a probability of 28.81% and a draw has a probability of 25.8%.
The most likely scoreline is Sivasspor 1-1 Kasimpasa with a probability of 12.25% and the second most likely scoreline is Sivasspor 1-0 Kasimpasa with a probability of 10.81%.
Top tip
Amos Murphy
