Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Alanyasporvs.Gaziantep

sportsmole.co.uk, 12 December 2024, 17:48
After losing for the first time in four matches under new manager Sami Ugurlu, Alanyaspor will hope to avoid consecutive defeats when they host Gaziantep in the Turkish Super Lig on Saturday.

The hosts drew twice and won once in three matches across all competitions, before losing 2-0 away at Kayserispor last time out, leaving them stuck in the relegation zone.

Match preview

Alanyaspor have endured a poor start to the season, leaving them 16th in the standings having picked up 14 points from the same number of matches, one point adrift of safety.

This poor start led to the resignation of Fatih Tekke, with Ugurlu taking over on November 7, bringing an inspired change which led to an unbeaten streak in his first three matches across all competitions, with a draw against Samsunspor in his first game preceding wins against Trabzonspor in the Super Lig, and Fethiyespor in the Turkish Cup.

However, the fine start to Ugurlu's reign ended with the defeat to Kayserispor, and Alanyaspor will now have to pick things up when they take on Gaziantep, a team that they have historically dominated.

The Alanya-based side have won 12 of 16 previous encounters against the visitors across all competitions, but while the home side won the most recent meeting between them, they lost this fixture the last time they played as hosts.

However, having won their two home matches under Ugurlu, Alanyaspor will head into Saturday's fixture with an opportunity to win three competitive home matches in a row for the first time since a three-match winning streak at home between December 2022 and January 2023.

Gaziantep will head into this clash hoping to end a six-match winless streak on the road with one draw and five defeats, including in their last two.

After a poor start to the campaign, GFK have picked things up in recent weeks, winning three of their last five league matches, compared to two in their opening nine matches, though four of their five league wins have come on home soil.

In their most recent league game, Selcuk Inan's side managed to secure a 1-0 victory over Caykur Rizespor thanks to a fourth-minute own goal from opposition goalkeeper Ivo Grbic, a win that saw them climb to 10th place, taking them further away from the drop zone.

With the two teams directly above them playing against each other on the same day, a win here could take GFK as high as eighth, and having recorded their maiden win away at Alanyaspor last season, the visitors can be confident of achieving this.

Alanyaspor Turkish Super Lig form:

L

L

D

D

W

L

Gaziantep Turkish Super Lig form:

W

W

L

W

L

W

Team News

Alanyaspor could remain without defender Furkan Bayir, who is looking to recover in time from an ankle injury that has kept him out for the last couple of weeks.

However, the hosts will welcome back Yusuf Ozdemir and Nuno Lima who were suspended for the loss against Kayserispor due to a red card for the former and accumulated cautions for the latter.

The goals have been evenly distributed under Ugurlu, with seven different scorers so far, but Sergio Cordova, who scored the first goal of the manager's reign, is still the man to watch.

Gaziantep will remain without left-back Godfrey Stephen, who is currently sidelined with a leg injury, and no return date set.

Badou Ndiaye is suspended for this clash, with the midfielder reaching the yellow card threshold after his caution against Rizespor.

Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:

Taskiran; Balkovec, Aliti, Lima, Hadergjonaj; Richard, Makouta; Augusto, Janvier, Karaca; Cordova

Gaziantep possible starting lineup:

Dioudis; M'Bakata, Kizildag, Viana, Eskihellac; Maxim, Ozcicek; Lungoyi, Dervisoglu, Sorescu; Okereke

We say: Alanyaspor 1-1 Gaziantep

Alanyaspor seem to find better gear on home soil under the new manager, and they have a dominant record in this fixture. However, Gaziantep have shown resilience in recent weeks, and they won on this ground last year which could fuel their belief.

Written by

Joshua Cole

Previews by email

Top News

23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Lisandro Martinez has claimed that Manchester United were "playing so well" before losing 3-0 to Bournemouth on Sunday. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has allegedly made a further two senior players available for transfer. 23 December 2024 talksport.com Arsenal have reportedly scouted Atalanta striker Mateo Retegui as an alternative transfer target to Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have reportedly discovered the asking price of Brighton & Hove Albion forward Joao Pedro. 23 December 2024 talksport.com Denis Suarez wasn't the player Arsenal fans wanted to sign - but he's the footballer supporters have a hard time in forgetting. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City will be aiming to avoid four straight defeats across all competitions when they welcome Everton to the Etihad in the Premier League on Boxing Day. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk After spending Christmas Day in the bottom half of the Premier League table, Tottenham Hotspur endeavour to atone for recent failings when they travel to Nottingham Forest for a Boxing Day battle. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk After celebrating Christmas Day at the top of the Premier League table, Liverpool get back to business on Boxing Day, when they welcome Leicester City to Anfield. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The January transfer window is almost here and clubs around the UK and Europe are lining up moves as they look to take advantage of the opportunity to strengthen. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Hatayspor vs. Adana Demirspor (Monday, 5.00pm) The battle of the bottom feeders in the Turkish Super Lig unfolds on Monday as Hatayspor host Adana Demirspor at the Mersin Stadyumu. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Benfica vs. Estoril (Monday, 6.45pm) Separated by 10 places in the Primeira Liga table before gameweek 15, second-placed Benfica are clear favourites to outdo Estoril Praia at Estadio da Luz on Monday. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fiorentina vs. Udinese (Monday, 5.30pm) After their incredible success streak was finally brought to an end last week, Fiorentina will aim to start another winning run on Monday, when they meet Udinese. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Yemen and Saudi Arabia will celebrate Christmas Day by facing each other on matchday two of the Arabian Gulf Cup on Wednesday at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk First place in Group B of the Arabian Gulf Cup will be at stake on Wednesday as Bahrain and Iraq celebrate Christmas Day at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait. 23 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United transfer target Randal Kolo Muani is very likely to leave Paris Saint-Germain in the January transfer window, according to reports. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City have reportedly set their sights on West Ham United attacker Mohammed Kudus, with Pep Guardiola keen to strengthen his struggling squad. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly set to rival Arsenal for the signature of Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic in the summer of 2025. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The final Premier League gameweek before Christmas appropriately served up some crackers, including a festive feast of goals in North London, where Liverpool ran riot in an exhilarating 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Even when the pulse settled a little after this compellingspectacle it was still difficult to know quite where to start todissect this nine-goal thriller. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Ange Postecoglou cut an irritated figure as he claimed he's going to stop answering questions about Tottenham's tactics. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have supposedly expressed an interest in signing Borussia Dortmund attacker Julian Brandt next month. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's Mohamed Salah refused to give anything away when asked whether he could break Ian Rush's all-time goalscoring record after the Reds' remarkable 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's astonishing 6-3 Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening saw a multitude of records and achievements surpassed, as the Reds moved four points clear at the top of the table. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Al-Ahli have reportedly emerged as the favourites to sign Marcus Rashford, with the Manchester United attacker widely expected to be on the move during the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Everton have become surprise leaders in one statistic across Europe thanks to their draw at home to Chelsea. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool will spend Christmas Day four points clear at the top of the Premier League table thanks to a breathtaking 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur in North London. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Kylian Mbappe struck a landmark effort to put himself firmly among Real Madrid's elite. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has insisted that he is "absolutely happy" with his side's goalless draw at Everton on Sunday. 22 December 2024 talksport.com If you thought Mohamed Salah couldn't set yet another record, think again. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk For a second time in successive Gulf Cup competitions, The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait will meet in the group stage, with this upcoming game taking place on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Amad International Stadium in Kuwait City.