Gaziantep will be desperate to halt their alarming slide when they welcome Kasimpasa to Gaziantep Stadyumu on Friday in the Turkish Super Lig.

The hosts have lost five consecutive league matches and are hovering just above the relegation zone with eight points from their opening 10 fixtures, while their visitors occupy fifth place with 17 points and arrive unbeaten in their last three league outings.

Match preview

Gaziantep have endured a miserable spell in the league, with their latest setback coming in a 2-0 defeat away to Trabzonspor.

Orhan Ak's side struggled to make an impact against the Black Sea outfit, conceding once in each half as they suffered another damaging result following defeats against Erzurumspor, Istanbul Basaksehir, Corum and Kocaelispor.

Their 4-0 Turkish Cup victory over Etimesgutspor provided some relief, but that result has done little to disguise their domestic difficulties, particularly as they have scored just twice across their last five league matches while conceding 12 goals.

The lack of attacking output is becoming a significant concern for Ak, whose team have struggled to turn possession into meaningful opportunities and have repeatedly found themselves chasing matches after falling behind.

Gaziantep have also struggled to establish Gaziantep Stadyumu as a source of points, failing to win any game as hosts yet, drawing two and losing three times in five home matches.

However, the Falcons are unbeaten in their last five meetings with the Apaches, picking up three wins and two draws, while they have also avoided defeat in their last three encounters against them as hosts, winning twice and drawing once.

Kasimpasa, meanwhile, have enjoyed a considerably more encouraging opening to the campaign, losing just one of their 10 league games so far while recording four wins and five draws.

Emre Belozoglu's team were held to an entertaining 2-2 draw by Besiktas in their previous league outing, with Claudio Winck and Michael Rafferty finding the net as they twice threatened to take all three points.

That result extended their unbeaten league sequence to three matches, following victories over Eyupspor and Samsunspor, while they also recorded a 3-1 win over Corluspor in the Turkish Cup, extending their unbeaten run across all competitions to four matches.

Kasimpasa have also collected useful points on their travels this season, recording 10 points from five away games, with three wins, one draw and one defeat, which should give them optimism ahead of this trip.

Gaziantep Turkish Super Lig form:

Gaziantep form (all competitions):

Kasimpasa Turkish Super Lig form:

Kasimpasa form (all competitions):

Team News

Gaziantep have several availability concerns ahead of Friday's encounter, with Myenty Abena facing suspension following a yellow-card accumulation, while Ulrich Meleke, Ogun Ozcicek, Arda Kizildag and Sontje Hansen are among those carrying injuries.

Serdar Dursun is also expected to miss out, while Nazim Sangare and Fuat Bavuk remain unavailable.

Kasimpasa have fewer confirmed concerns, although Kamil Ahmet Corekci is expected to remain sidelined with an Achilles tendon injury.

Godfried Frimpong and Kevin Mouanga are also carrying fitness problems, leaving the visitors potentially short of defensive options, while no further suspensions have been reported.

Adrian Benedyczak has scored six goals in the league this season, and he will be the man to watch for the Apaches in this encounter.

Gaziantep possible starting lineup:

Dadakdeniz; Perez, Abena, Sylla, Calhanoglu; Bacuna; Sorescu, Gidado, Maxim, Kozlowski; Stewart

Kasimpasa possible starting lineup:

Gianniotis; Jensen, Ilie, Arous, Winck; Demirbay, Mendes; Hajradinovic, Rak-Sakyi, Kol; Benedyczak

We say: Gaziantep 1-2 Kasimpasa

Gaziantep's home advantage and historical record in this fixture could make Friday's encounter more competitive than the league standings suggest, but their current defensive problems are difficult to overlook.

Kasimpasa have shown considerably more attacking consistency, and their recent form should ultimately see them claim all three points.

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