Preview: Gaziantep vs. Alanyaspor - prediction, team news, lineups

Gaziantep's form in recent weeks has picked up and helped them pull away from the relegation zone, currently sitting 13th in the Turkish Super Lig after just two defeats in their last six outings.

Erol Bulut's side host sixth-placed Alanyaspor on Wednesday, and the visitors have the opportunity to climb into the top four if they collect three points and the two teams above them taste defeat.

Match preview

Gaziantep could go three games unbeaten if they avoid defeat this week, which would equal their longest unbeaten run this season with the first string of three results coming in September.

Bulut's team played out a very even contest last time out against Kayserispor, with both outfits creating a similar amount of chances on goal but neither finding the back of the net as that match finished in a goalless draw.

The clean sheet would have pleased Bulut, after he saw his side concede at least two goals in their last four league matches, but the manager will know that they need to be more clinical in front of goal if they are to climb the table.

The difference between Gaziantep's home form compared to their away form is quite staggering, having not lost on their own patch, collecting 18 more points in one less game, but also not managed to secure three points on their travels, so, they will be glad to be on home soil this Wednesday.

Alanyaspor have been more consistently similar at home and away this season, and they will be desperate to bounce back after a 3-1 defeat against Adana Demirspor last time out.

That game would have been an ideal opportunity for Alanyaspor to open up a little bit of a gap between themselves and seventh spot, but instead they allowed Adana Demirspor to go within one point of them in the table.

Bulent Korkmaz's side are one of the highest conceders in the Super Lig this season, having seen 28 goals fly past them in 17 matches, meaning that their goal difference is not as good as the teams around them.

Alanyaspor will be hoping to emulate their last away performance which came two weeks ago, when they smashed six past Yeni Malatyaspor, the second time in the league this season that they have managed to score that many goals in a single game.

Korkmaz's side would be higher up the table if they had been more efficient in front of goal this season, as the stat chart claims that Alanyaspor have missed the most big chances in the division this year, something they will want to improve on.

These two teams played out a five-goal thriller last time they met in April, with Alanyaspor coming out on the right side of the 3-2 scoreline thanks to a goal from Steven Caulker and a brace from Mustafa Pektemek.

Team News

Jefferson has been sidelined since the beginning of November with a muscle injury and while he is nearing his return to action, he is expected to be absent from Gaziantep's squad again on Wednesday.

The hosts will also be without Hamza Mendyl for this encounter after the left-sided midfielder was sent off late on against Kayserispor, but Bulut could still name the same starting side.

Gaziantep could line up with a back three including Alin Tosca, Caulker and Papy Djilobodji, while Joao Figueiredo is expected to continue to lead the line and add to his five goals this campaign.

Alanyaspor left-back Cristian Borja will be absent from the visitors' squad after sustaining a muscle injury last month, while attacking midfielder Emre Akbaba missed out against Adana Demirspor after being substituted just before half time two weeks ago.

Famara Diedhiou has scored seven goals in the league so far this season after his summer move from Bristol City, and he will be looking to continue his fine form in front of goal when he leads the line for the visitors on Wednesday.

Gaziantep possible starting lineup:
Guvenc; Tosca, Caulker, Djilobodji; Pehlivan, Soyalp, Erdogan, Kitsiou; Messaoudi, Ozer; Figueiredo

Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:
Kirintilli; Bingol, Mevlja, Milunovic, Juanfran; Novais, Aksoy; Davidson, Akbaba, Karaca; Diedhiou

We say: Gaziantep 1-1 Alanyaspor

Gaziantep have recorded some strong results against opposition higher than them in the table recently, most notably beating Fenerbahce earlier this month, and that will give them the confidence to take something from this match.

Alanyaspor will be desperate to bounce back after defeat last time out and that is why they are unlikely to lose this game, but it shows what sort of areas Gaziantep can exploit which Alanyaspor will need to have improved on.

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