Having suffered yet another defeat on their travels, Trabzonspor will be eager to capitalise on home advantage when they welcome Hatayspor to Papara Park on Saturday, aiming for an immediate response.
The Black Sea Storm continue to struggle away from home, but pending their next game on the road, they can take confidence from an impressive nine-match unbeaten streak on their own turf.
Match preview
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Trabzonspor appeared on course to salvage a point from their last outing at Konyaspor, only to concede a penalty deep into stoppage time, which Umut Nayir duly converted to extend the Black Sea Storm’s winless away run in the Turkish Super Lig this season.
They remain one of two teams—alongside Saturday’s opponents, Hatayspor—yet to secure an away victory in the current campaign, a statistic that bodes well for Senol Gunes‘s side’s heading into this fixture.
Despite their travel woes, Trabzonspor have been formidable at home, amassing 27 points from 12 matches—joint-fourth-best in the league, with their only home defeat in the Super Lig coming back in November, and since then, they have won six and drawn one of their seven league matches at Papara Park.
Expanding that record to all competitions, the Black Sea Storm are unbeaten in their last nine home games, winning eight—including Turkish Cup triumphs over Alanyaspor and Caykur Rizespor.
That dominance extends to their head-to-head record against Hatayspor at home, where they remain unbeaten in eight meetings, winning six and drawing two.
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Meanwhile, Hatayspor, who were not in action last weekend, arrive desperate for points as they battle to keep their survival hopes alive, currently sitting second-bottom of the table with 13 points—11 adrift of safety, and in dire need of a turnaround.
A 1-0 home victory on February 16 ended an 11-match winless run in the Super Lig for the Star of the South, but they failed to build on that momentum, falling 1-0 to Bodrumspor in their most recent league outing.
With both of their league victories this season coming at home, their prospects on the road look bleak – only Sivasspor, who have played an extra away fixture, have suffered as many defeats on their travels (9) as Murat Sahin‘s men.
Moreover, Hatayspor’s only two away draws have come against bottom-half opposition, and only Bodrumspor and Sivasspor have a worse goal difference on the road (-14) than Hatayspor (-13).
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Team News
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Trabzonspor will be without Denis Dragus and Enis Destan, who are both sidelined with injuries for the past three matches.
Anthony Nwakaeme also remains unavailable after missing the previous game through injury, with no confirmed return date.
Simon Banza, the Super Lig’s second-highest scorer with 16 goals, will spearhead the attack, looking to add to his tally on Saturday.
Hatayspor, meanwhile, remain without Lamine Diack and Burak Yilmaz, who are nursing herniated disc and muscle injuries, respectively.
Kamil Ahmet Corekci missed the last fixture due to a muscle problem and is expected to remain sidelined – however, Guy-Marcelin Kilama returns from suspension and should be available for selection.
Trabzonspor possible starting lineup:
Cakir; Malheiro, Savic, Batagov, Eskihellac; Mendy, Lundstram; Cham, Visca, Sikan, Banza
Hatayspor possible starting lineup:
Bekaj; Sertel, Calvo, Demir, Temel; Massanga, Parmak; Bamgboye, Saglam, Fernandes; Strandberg
We say: Trabzonspor 3-0 Hatayspor
Trabzonspor have been in fine scoring form at home recently, bagging eight goals in their last two home matches, and scoring at least three goals in five of their last six.
Considering all of this and their fine form at home, a win for the hosts against a struggling team seems inevitable, and it is only a question of how many goals the home side will score.
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