Kasimpasa will host Istanbul Basaksehir in the Super Lig on Tuesday. In their opening game of the season, the two teams had quite different outcomes. On home ground, the Grey Owls played to a somewhat disappointing goalless draw against Adana Demirspor.
Preview (Kasimpasa vs. Istanbul Basaksehir)
Kasimpasa, are only three points out of a Conference League qualifying berth. They can dream of playing in Europe after a fantastic first half of the season. When the teams met on Friday at the Tupras Stadyumu, the Apaciler surprised Besiktas with a 3-1 victory. Nuno Da Costa, a former striker for Auxerre, scored a hat-trick. It sent the Black Eagles to their seventh league loss of the year, putting Besiktas to shame.
Since losing all three of their games in November, Sami Ugurlu’s team has now amassed three victories and two draws in six games. This run has allowed them to advance to the Turkish Cup’s fifth round. They defeated Kirsehir FK 4-1 on December 6. They have scored 15 goals since the beginning of December and presently boast the joint-third-best record. It has contributed to their recent improvement in form. With seven victories and five draws in their first 18 Super Lig games, Kasimpasa has amassed 26 points. They are currently ranked eighth in the standings, just three points behind Kayserispor in fourth place.
But after losing 3-2 at Caykur Rizespor on December 2, the Grey Owls had won three straight games. This was their fifth straight game without a loss. Basaksehir, who placed fifth in the league the previous season, has struggled mightily on the road, going winless for the past seven games and scoring the joint-fourth fewest points in the league (6). This has contributed to their lackluster first half of the season. Though they went into the game looking for their first away victory since September, Atan’s team’s recent performance against Kasimpasa gave them hope as they have won five of the last seven games and have not lost any of the previous five.
Team News
Due to injuries, Kasimpsa will be without several important players down the spine of the squad, including attacker Julien Ngoy, midfielder Erdem Cetinkaya, and defender Sadik Ciftpinar. Due to a muscle ailment, Moroccan midfielder Dries Saddiki has missed the last three games; meanwhile, 27-year-old Samuel Bastien is still out for the foreseeable future after suffering an injury in October. With the arrival of veteran Keneth Omeruo ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations, Utku Aydin and Yasin Ozcan are expected to reunite as the starting center-back duo.
The 29-year-old defender Edgar Ie, who is now playing for Guinea-Bissau. He will be absent for Basaksehir, just like for the hosts. Due to hamstring and ACL injuries, respectively, Atan will also be unable to start Efe Arda Koyuncu and 25-year-old Patryk Szysz in the midfield. Turkish goalkeeper Muhammad Sengezer is not eligible for Tuesday’s match and has not played since suffering a serious thigh injury against Konyaspor on September 2.
Kasimpasa 1-1 Istanbul Basaksehir
For more football previews, click here
