Konyaspor's unlikely push for European football will continue this weekend when they welcome Fatih Karagumruk to the Konya Metropolitan Municipality Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Currently sitting third in the Super Lig table, Konyaspor still maintain hopes of jumping into the top two and securing qualification for the Champions League.
Match preview
It has been a season to remember for Konyaspor. While Turkey's big three have endured a torrid campaign, the Anatolian Eagle have soared through and established themselves among the contenders.
Granted, their performances will ultimately fall short of eventual champions Trabzonspor, but Konyaspor will be confident of securing a continental berth ahead of next season.
A mainstay in the second Champions League position for much of the campaign, a shaky run of form after the new year has allowed those sides below them to catch up.
Fenerbahce currently sit in the second Champions League qualification spot, with Konyaspor needing the Istanbul-based outfit to slip up before the end of the campaign.
One point separates the two at this moment in time, with four games left in the Super Lig for Konyaspor to turn things around.
Hoping to stunt the hosts' progression this weekend, Karagumruk's league position may suggest that they are already on the proverbial beach, yet their strong run of form disproves such a theory.
One defeat in their previous five matches has Karagumruk sitting in ninth, as the Black Red eye up an impressive top-half finish.
Having already played each other twice this season, Karagumruk are still yet to taste victory over Konyaspor.
A heavy loss in their first clash of the season was compounded by an extra-time defeat in the Turkish Cup quarter-finals back in February.
Targeting revenge, a Karagumruk victory could all but end Konyaspor's dream of competing in Europe's most prestigious club competition.
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Team News
Looking to stifle the home side's European ambitions, Karagumruk will be without three first team players for the trip to the Konya Metropolitan Municipality Stadium.
Jimmy Durmaz will sit the clash out, as the midfielder continues to serve a three-match suspension for a red card picked up in last weekend's victory over Giresunspor.
Midfielder Kerim Frei is currently suffering with a muscle problem and is unlikely to return until the end of the month, which is a similar issue facing Rayyan Baniya, who is also nursing a niggle.
In contrast, Konyaspor do not have any fresh injury concerns this weekend, but a lack of discipline in recent weeks does mean that their squad may be left a little threadbare.
Amar Rahmanovic is also serving a red card suspension and has another two matches to sit out, whereas defender Adil Demirbag will miss the weekend clash due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Konyaspor possible starting lineup:
Sehic; Skubic, Anicic, Bardakci, Haubert; Dikmen, Hadziahmetovic; Bytyqi, Cekici, Michalak; Hassan
Fatih Karagumruk possible starting lineup:
Viviano; Biraschi, Luckassen, Bekaroglu, Erkin; Biglia, Bistrovic, Mercan; Mor, Pesic, Karamoh
We say: Konyaspor 2-0 Fatih Karagumruk
Four wins is all that stands between Konyaspor and a potential spot in next season's Champions League, with the Anatolian Eagle dreaming of Europe's biggest stage.
A stubborn Karagumruk outfit will no doubt offer the home side a problem or two, but expect Konyaspor to get the job done in front of a jubilant home crowd.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Konyaspor win with a probability of 69.68%. A draw had a probability of 18.3% and a win for Fatih Karagumruk had a probability of 12.02%.
The most likely scoreline for a Konyaspor win was 2-0 with a probability of 12.11%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (10.96%) and 2-1 (9.61%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (8.7%), while for a Fatih Karagumruk win it was 0-1 (3.94%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 3.5% likelihood.
