Samsunsporvs.Alanyaspor

Both teams have aspirations of a top-half finish in the Turkish Super Lig, giving them plenty to fight for in the final two fixtures.

Match preview

The hosts head into this weekend sat in 12th place, leaving them with some work to do if they want to break into the top 10.

Samsunspor will require teams above them to slip up to allow them to push further up the division, but a victory on Saturday could potentially move them into 10th place, depending on other results.

The hosts have enjoyed the most success this season playing at home, with 10 of their 11 victories taking place at the Samsun 19 May Stadium.

However, a big weakness for Samsunspor throughout this campaign has been finding the back of the net, as only one team in the entire division has scored fewer goals than them, the already-relegated Istanbulspor.

That was reflected last weekend when Markus Gisdol's men failed to find the back of the net in their 3-0 loss against Konyaspor.

The visitors are in a stronger position at the moment, in seventh, and with only two points between them and Kasimpasa, they can push into sixth by the season's climax.

The two teams have already traded one victory this season, with Alanyaspor winning 3-1 in the league, only for Samsunspor to win by the same scoreline when they met in the Turkish Cup.

With little to split them, it promises to be a closely fought contest. However, the visitors are in good form heading into it, having gone four matches unbeaten.

Alanyaspor's most recent outing saw them share the spoils with Besiktas in a 1-1 draw, in which Ahmed Mahgoub's goal brought them back from behind.

But considering a defeat could lead to them slipping into ninth, there is undoubtedly an element of pressure heading into this one to ensure they finish the season in style.

Samsunspor Turkish Super Lig form:

D

D

D

L

W

L

Alanyaspor Turkish Super Lig form:

W

L

W

W

D

D

Team News

The hosts have been dealing with life without Lubomir Satka as of late due to an ankle problem, while Olivier Ntcham has also been a fitness concern.

A positive for Samsunspor is the fact that they could welcome back Youssef Ait Bennasser and Osman Celik this weekend after they served their one-match suspensions.

The visitors are also dealing with a lot of injuries at the moment, with Amir Hadziahmetovic being unavailable because of a cruciate ligament injury.

On top of that, Ante Rebic, Bakhtiyor Zaynutdinov, Tayfur Bingol and Gedson Fernandes are all doubts heading into the weekend after missing last week.

Samsunspor possible starting lineup:

Kocuk; Yavru, Ozturk, Van Drongelen, Bola; Antalyali, Tait; Muja, Holse, Kilinc; Marius

Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:

Taskiran; Hadergjonaj, Lima, Aliti, Balkovec; Richard, Fer; Aydin, Karaca, Ozdemir; Hassan

We say: Samsunspor 0-2 Alanyaspor

This promises to be a close game between two teams who have had strong campaigns, but it is the visitors who head into the weekend in good form.

Alanyaspor have the chance to break into the top six with the final two games of the season, which is something they are capable of doing.

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