Umraniyespor take on Sivasspor in the latest round of Turkish Super Lig fixtures this Sunday afternoon.
The hosts are 18th in the table, in real trouble of being relegated to the second tier, while the visitors are sitting in mid-table, currently in 11th place.
Match preview
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With Gaziantep FK and Hatayspor withdrawing from the Turkish Super Lig, Umraniyespor now occupy bottom place, and they are nine points from safety with just five games left to play.
As such, it is looking very likely Mustafa Er's side will be relegated, unless there is a remarkable turnaround in their remaining matches, but their recent form has given no indication they will be able to avoid the drop.
Sunday's hosts are winless in their last six Turkish Super Lig matches, losing their last four on the bounce, and their defence has continued to let them down, now without a clean sheet in their last 13 matches.
Umraniyespor are very rarely completely outplayed, and they have even managed to defeat reigning champions Trabzonspor this season, but they have too often lost games by a one-goal margin.
That was the case again last time out, with Er's side falling to a 1-0 defeat away at Alanyaspor, despite the fact they dominated the game, having the vast majority of possession and recording more shots on target than their opponents.
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Sivasspor have had a fairly disappointing league campaign, having acquired just 37 points from 31 games, which leaves them some way clear of the relegation zone but in no position to mount a late push for the European qualification places.
However, the reigning Turkish Cup winners may still have the opportunity to qualify for the Europa Conference League, as they have reached the semi-final stage of the Turkish Cup once again.
In their last match, the Braves had to settle for a 0-0 draw at home against Fenerbahce in the first leg of the semi-final, which means it is all still to play for in a trip to Istanbul later this month, although they will have their work cut out.
Riza Calimbay's side have started to improve their league form somewhat in recent weeks, winning two of their last three games, including a fantastic 4-1 victory at home against Trabzonspor.
However, Sivasspor are now tasked with defeating Umraniyespor for the first time in history, having lost one and drawn two of the previous three encounters between the two sides, playing out a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture earlier this season.
Team News
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Umraniyespor have one long-term absentee, with Mert Yilmaz still unavailable, having not been deemed fit enough to make the squad since way back in January, and Strahil Popov should keep his place at right-back.
Despite his side's very disappointing season, Umut Nayir has enjoyed a remarkable campaign, weighing in with 12 goals and two assists in 26 appearances, and the 29-year-old is a sure-fire starter in attack for Er's side.
After the game on Wednesday night, Calimbay may choose to make a few changes to his Sivasspor side, with Mustafa Yatabare coming back in at striker, replacing Jordy Caicedo, who failed to get on the scoresheet against Fenerbahce.
Max Gradel has been the Braves' main attacking threat this season, picking up six goals and five assists in the Turkish Super Lig, and the left-winger should play provider for Yatabare, but Clinton N'Jie could replace Erdogan Yesilyurt on the opposite flank.
Umraniyespor possible starting lineup:
Ozdemir; Popov, Glumac, Epureanu, Atasayar; Sackey, Goksu, Mrsic, Sekidika, Kayode; Nayir
Sivasspor possible starting lineup:
Yildirim; Paluli, Osmanpasa, Goutas, Ciftci; Charisis, Ulvestad, N'Jie, Saiz, Gradel; Yatabare
We say: Umraniyespor 1-3 Sivasspor
Umraniyespor look almost certain to be relegated at this stage, having put in some very poor performances in recent weeks, while Sivasspor have started to show signs of improvement, winning two of their last three league games.
As such, we expect the visitors to emerge as comfortable winners, continuing their upward trajectory in the Turkish Super Lig.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Dominic Lund
