Preview: Sivasspor vs. Fatih Karagumruk - prediction, team news, lineups

The visitors head into this game undefeated in their previous three matches, which has seen them climb to fifth place in the table.

Match preview

Sivasspor have had a tough start to the season, having only managed to secure one victory in the opening six matches, which came during their most recent outing.

After starting the campaign with back to back defeats, there was certainly room for improvement, but that is what the club have been doing, slowly but surely.

Three consecutive draws helped to start pulling the team away from the relegation zone, while the victory on Saturday allowed them to climb up to midtable, which they will now be wanting to capitalise on.

Sivasspor were knocked out of the Europa Conference League at the playoff stage, with Copenhagen winning 7-1 on aggregate, which now means they have less distractions from the Super Lig.

After finishing in fifth place last season, the club are aiming to go one step further this time, but they are already playing catch up after the sluggish start.

Last Saturday saw them finally produce a victory though as they defeated Yeni Malatyaspor, with surprise goal scorer Dimitris Goutas coming through to provide his team with the win.

Their games have been very open so far, having only kept one clean sheet, meanwhile they have been able to score in every match they have played in the league apart from the opening day.

The visitors have also been very free flowing, which should lead to an exciting game on Saturday as Fatih Karagumruk have found the back of the net 11 times in the first six league fixtures.

After finishing five points behind Sivasspor last season, they currently find themselves the same number of points ahead after a much stronger start to the 2021-22 campaign.

They have only lost once so far and come into this game with a three-match unbeaten streak that they will no doubt be hoping can extend to four.

Fatih Karagumruk won consecutive matches against Adana Demirspor and Yeni Malatyaspor, scoring eight goals in the process, with Aleksandar Pesic providing four of those across the two games.

However, they all dried up last Saturday when Kara Kirmizi ended up battling out a goalless draw against Antalyaspor, despite the fact they dominated with 67% of the possession.

Sivasspor Turkish Super Lig form:

Sivasspor form (all competitions):

Fatih Karagumruk Turkish Super Lig form:

Fatih Karagumruk form (all competitions):

Team News

The hosts are set to welcome back Olarenwaju Kayode this weekend after he has served his three-match suspension, meaning he will once again be available for selection.

However, both Aaron Appidangoye and Leke James are out of action due to injuries, although after they secured their first win of the season, an unchanged lineup could end up taking place for Sivasspor.

For the visitors, Pesic is sure to lead the line as he aims to continue his excellent form in front of goal, especially as Fabio Borini is currently injured.

However, Lucas Biglia has missed the last two games for Fatih Karagumruk due to injury, which has been a major blow for the team, with Alparslan Erdem also unavailable with an ankle issue.

Sivasspor possible starting lineup:

Yildirim; Oguz, Goutas, Osmanpasa, Ciftci; Fajr, Arslan; Henrique, Gradel, Felix; Kayode

Fatih Karagumruk possible starting lineup:

Viviano; Balkovec, Benatia Zukanovic, Erkin; Ugur, Musa, Durmaz, Frei, Bertolacci; Pesic

We say: Sivasspor 0-2 Fatih Karagumruk

Fatih Karagumruk have made a strong start to the season, and that should continue on Saturday as their attacking qualities will likely lead them to victory.

Pesic will be on hand to cause major problems for the hosts, and although they did gain three points in their previous match, this will be a difficult test.