Champions Trabzonspor welcome fellow European competitors Sivasspor to the Senol Gunes Stadyumu for a Turkish Super Lig clash on Saturday.
After cruising to the title last season, it has been a stuttering start for the side from Trabzon, but results have picked up in recent weeks.
Match preview
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Abdullah Avci's side have understandably not hit the same heights as last season, but they are still well within the mix near the top, just three points from the summit.
Some heavy defeats at the start of the season were demoralising, with 5-2 and 3-2 losses to Antalyaspor and Adana Demirspor respectively coinciding with their failure to be Turkey's sole Champions League representative this season.
The early stage of the season saw them win just one match in seven, but a turnaround has now seen them lose just one of their last seven instead, climbing to sixth in the standings.
There will have been slight disappointment at their inability to hold on to a lead twice away to Besiktas last week though, as they had to settle for a 2-2 draw.
A 4-0 hammering of Monaco here in the Europa League emphasised just how strong they are at home however, as they have not lost on home soil since Roma won here in August 2021, a run stretching back 28 games in all competitions.
Alanyaspor were the last side to beat Trabzonspor here in the league, and that was two seasons ago in March 2021, so that sums up the challenge which faces Sivasspor in this encounter.
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Sivasspor themselves made a rather peculiar start to the season; after being hammered in the Turkish Super Cup by their upcoming opponents, they then dropped into the Europa Conference League following defeat in Europa League qualifying.
Four points from their opening eight Super Lig games ensued, and a defeat at home to Ballkani, which saw them become the first side to ever lose to Kosovan opposition in the group stage of a UEFA competition.
It took them until their ninth league match of the season to get a win on the board, and it was in arguably their toughest fixture yet, away to Istanbul Basaksehir when they were most unfancied.
That result has kickstarted a three-game winning streak which included exacting revenge on Ballkani and a win last weekend at home to Giresunspor, which moved them three points clear of trouble.
Team News
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Super Lig stalwart Edin Visca looks set to remain on the sidelines for Trabzonspor until after the World Cup after fracturing his arm in August.
The Bosnian wide man scored his 100th Super Lig goal in February, but has been unable to add to the tally since, and will now have to wait until the New Year to do so.
Yusuf Yazici will be suspended after he was sent off in stoppage time last week at Besiktas, while Abdulkadir Omur, who fractured his hand in the same fixture, will not feature, and it has not yet been specified how long the midfielder will be out for.
Serkan Asan (ruptured meniscus) and Bruno Peres (Achilles tendon) are both out, meaning they will have only Jens Stryger Larsen available as a natural right-back in the side, but Huseyin Turkmen may be able to cover in that position if needed.
Dorukhan Tokoz is the other absentee for Trabzonspor, as his ACL injury will keep him out until April.
Sivasspor themselves have been bogged down by some seriously nasty injuries in recent weeks, but they could welcome back Ahmed Musa as the ex-Leicester City man recovers from a fractured arm to potentially partner former Premier League duo Max Gradel and Clinton N'Jie.
Gradel himself may be a doubt for this one though, after the Ivorian missed the win over Giresunspor with a foot injury.
Leke James will not return from his metatarsal fracture until next month, but Fredrik Ulvestad could be back in contention soon after missing the last two fixtures with a nasal bone fracture.
Kader Keita has still yet to make a comeback from a knock suffered in the build-up to their tie at away to Ballkani, while Samba Camara continues to build up his match fitness after being out for over five months.
Trabzonspor possible starting lineup:
Cakir; Stryger Larsen, Bartra, Vitor Hugo, Elmali; Gbamin, Bakasetas, Hamsik; Bardhi, Gomez, Trezeguet
Sivasspor possible starting lineup:
Vural; Paluli, Goutas, Osmanpasa, Ciftci; Arslan, Yalcin, Saba; N'Jie, Yesilyurt, Yatabare
We say: Trabzonspor 2-0 Sivasspor
No Turkish side has come and beat Trabzonspor on their own patch in over 18 months, and despite Sivasspor's shock win at Basaksehir in their last outing on the road, a repeat is very unlikely.
Trabzonspor's four Super Lig home games have produced just six goals this season though, so attacking opportunities may be at a premium, meaning the hosts will have to take their chances when they come.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Andrew Delaney
