Kasimpasa and Istanbul Basaksehir meet on Saturday aiming to put further distance between themselves and the relegation zone in the Turkish Super Lig.
Both sides sit on 13 points, four clear of the bottom three, though they arrive in contrasting form -- the hosts fresh from a morale-boosting victory, while the visitors have suffered back-to-back league defeats.
Match preview
Kasimpasa fought back impressively to claim a 2-1 win away at Alanyaspor last weekend, with Pape Habib Gueye's second-half brace securing the Apaches only their third league success of the campaign.
Shota Arveladze believes that result will provide a "significant morale boost", especially after a difficult six-game winless spell in all competitions (two draws, four defeats), a run that included a shock 3-1 Turkish Cup exit to amateur side Kahta.
However, home form remains a major concern for Kasimpasa, with all three of their wins having come on the road, while their six home matches have produced three defeats and three draws, leaving them bottom of the Super Lig home table with only three points.
Defensive issues also persist, as Kasimpasa have failed to keep a clean sheet in nine consecutive matches, while only Alanyaspor (four goals) have scored fewer times at home than their tally of five.
Basaksehir may feel well placed to exploit these weaknesses despite arriving on a two-game losing streak.
© Imago
The visitors boast an impressive record in this fixture, unbeaten in their last 10 meetings with Kasimpasa (eight wins, two draws), and they can take heart from their spirited display in last weekend's dramatic 4-3 defeat to Trabzonspor.
Nuri Sahin's side played more than 80 minutes with 10 men after Festy Ebosele's early dismissal, yet still managed to lead twice before conceding in the 11th minute of stoppage time.
The manager voiced pride in his players' resilience and criticised the refereeing, calling for "more common sense" in key decisions.
Basaksehir must now focus on improving their away form, having lost their last road outing 2-1 to Genclerbirligi, while four of their six defeats this season have come away from home.
Kasimpasa Turkish Super Lig form:
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Kasimpasa form (all competitions):
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Istanbul Basaksehir Turkish Super Lig form:
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Kasimpasa remain without Haris Hajradinovic due to a knee injury, while Ege Albayrak and Ali Emre Yanar are suspended for 45 days amid the ongoing betting investigation.
Gueye, now on five goals in 11 league appearances, is expected to lead the line again and could partner Mamadou Fall in a two-man attack.
Basaksehir, meanwhile, are without Yusuf Sari, who has yet to recover from a knock sustained during the international break, while Hamza Gureler is doubtful after missing the previous match.
The Grey Owls are also without two defenders - Ousseynou Ba (yellow-card suspension) and Ebosele, who serves his ban following last weekend's red card.
Eldor Shomurodov, now joint-top scorer in the league with nine goals, will be the key danger man for the visitors.
Kasimpasa possible starting lineup:
Gianniotis; Winck, Opoku, Arous, Szalai, Tasdemir; Cafu, Baldursson, Ouanes; Gueye, Fall
Istanbul Basaksehir possible starting lineup:
Sengezer; Bulut, Duarte, Opoku, Sahiner; Kemen, Gunes; Turuc, Harit, Shomurodov; Selke
We say: Kasimpasa 0-1 Istanbul Basaksehir
Kasimpasa's home struggles continue to be a major obstacle, and facing a Basaksehir side that has dominated this fixture for years does little to ease concerns.
While the hosts will take confidence from last weekend's comeback win, their defensive fragility and lack of clean sheets remain worrying - facing a Basaksehir, despite recent defeats, that showed resilience at Trabzonspor and possess the greater attacking edge through Shomurodov, the home side are bound to struggle again.
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