Preview: Antalyaspor vs. Ankaragucu - prediction, team news, lineups

Both sides entered the break in the bottom half in what has become a very congested battle near the lower end of the table.

Match preview

Antalyaspor are only three points clear of trouble, but are the only side who have played 12 matches in the league so far, so they will hope they can use those games in hand to pull themselves away from the bottom four.

A much healthier goal difference than most sides below them also helps, but their defensive deficiency in friendlies during the break is a cause for concern.

Nuri Sahin's side lost all three of their friendlies in preparation for the return of club action, going down to Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Fatih Karagumruk and Napoli.

However, they still managed to score five goals across those three games even though top scorer Haji Wright was away at the World Cup with the USA.

A heavily rotated Antalyaspor side saw off Manisa in the Turkish Cup in midweek on their competitive return, and once their big names come back into the side, there should be no concerns of a relegation battle given the quality in their ranks.

Omer Toprak, Admir Mehmedi, Luiz Adriano and Shoya Nakajima are among the players at their disposal, so it is rather disappointing that they are not fighting closer to the European places.

While Antalyaspor at least showed some attacking prowess during the break, Ankaragucu lost both of their warm-up games without scoring.

Sivasspor and Konyaspor got the better of Omer Erdogan's men, and with Ankaragucu currently sat in the relegation zone, problems must be rectified if they want to divert themselves away from danger.

Wins before the break over Hatayspor and Amedspor saw them score 10 and they comfortably beat second division strugglers Tuzlaspor 2-0 in the cup this week, but against stronger opposition they often come unstuck.

Trying to recover from a woeful start to the season which saw them take just one point from their opening five matches was bound to be tough, but they did manage three wins and three draws from the following eight fixtures.

They still remain in the bottom four but that upturn in result can provide optimism that they have the ability to pick up points, and a win in the cup will only further boost momentum on their league return.

Antalyaspor Turkish Super Lig form:

L

D

L

W

W

W

Ankaragucu Turkish Super Lig form:

W

L

D

W

D

D

Team News

Sahin made seven changes to his Antalyaspor side for the cup tie with Manisa from the XI which featured in their final league match before the break.

Neither Fedor Kudryashov or Christian Luyindama featured in any of their friendlies, but the former returned for the cup game, while Luyindama missed out with injury.

Their sole representative from the World Cup, Haji Wright, netted on his last appearance in the finals, in the USA's last 16 defeat to Holland, and made a goalscoring return for his club, netting the only goal in their 1-0 win over Manisa.

There are no new injury concerns for Ankaragucu on their return to league action, with Eren Derdiyok the only current absentee.

All 11 starters from their last league encounter played the full 90 minutes in at least one of their recent friendlies.

However, Erdogan made a number of personnel changes for the cup win over Tuzlaspor.

Marlon returned from injury to feature at left-back, while Pepe made just his third start for the club since joining from Olympiacos.

There were also rare starts for Sinan Osmanoglu, Anastasios Chatzigiovanis and Lamine Diack on Tuesday, but all may drop to the bench for this one.

Antalyaspor possible starting lineup:

Uysal; Balci, Sari, Kudryashov, Vural; Fernando, Akyol, Nakajima, Luiz Adriano, Larsson; Wright

Ankaragucu possible starting lineup:

Gungordu; Malcuit, Radakovic, Mujakic, Gureler; Antalyali, Cigerci, Pedrinho; Kilinc, Sowe, Beridze

We say: Antalyaspor 2-1 Ankaragucu

Having Wright back in top condition could be crucial for the hosts in this one, as the American international has netted nine league goals in just 12 games this season.

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