Konyaspor will look to end their scoring drought when they host Genclerbirligi at Medas Konya Buyuksehir Stadyumu on Sunday in the Turkish Super Lig.

Ilhan Palut's side have scored just once across their last five league matches and have gone three consecutive games without finding the net, although the visitors are also struggling, having failed to win any of their last six league fixtures, leaving the hosts with a valuable opportunity to get their campaign back on track against a side with a vulnerable away defence.
 

Match preview

Konyaspor enter the ninth round in 16th place with five points from eight matches, having recorded one win, two draws and five defeats, and are without a victory in their last three league games, drawing twice and losing once.

Their latest defeat came away to Amed SK, when they conceded in the 86th minute to lose 1-0 despite keeping the opposition at bay for most of the contest, only to fall behind late and fail to find a response.

That result followed goalless draws against Istanbul Basaksehir and Kasimpasa, leaving Palut with a clear priority of improving his side's attacking output without sacrificing the defensive organisation that has kept recent matches close.

Palut acknowledged the attacking problem after the defeat to Amed, admitting that his team struggled to create chances and that his substitutions failed to make enough impact in the final third, with their recent record underlining the problem as they have scored just once across their last five league matches, while leading league scorer Deniz Turuc has found the net only once.

However, the hosts have reasons to believe they can take advantage of this fixture, having produced encouraging results in their last two home matches by playing out a goalless draw with Basaksehir after beating Trabzonspor 1-0 in Konya.

Recent league meetings have also favoured Konyaspor, who have won the last two encounters between the sides and are unbeaten in their last four, recording two victories and two draws.

Genclerbirligi sit one place above their hosts in 15th, with eight points from as many matches, and their latest outing ended in a 1-0 home defeat to Galatasaray, with the decisive goal arriving in the 88th minute after goalkeeper Irfan Can Egribayat put the ball into his own net.

That defeat was Bernd Storck's second match in charge since replacing Metin Diyadin, with the German coach still waiting for his first victory after overseeing a 2-2 draw against Amed and the narrow loss to Galatasaray.

The performance against Galatasaray was not enough to secure a result, but remaining level until the closing stages showed that Genclerbirligi can remain competitive when their defensive structure is intact.

Their away form is a bigger concern, with the visitors losing their last two matches on the road, suffering a 5-0 defeat to Trabzonspor before losing 4-0 at Basaksehir, although they did make a winning start away from home by beating Goztepe 1-0.

Konyaspor Turkish Super Lig form:

Konyaspor form (all competitions):

Genclerbirligi Turkish Super Lig form:

Genclerbirligi form (all competitions):

Team News

Konyaspor defender Adil Demirbag remains sidelined with a cruciate ligament injury, while Enis Destan has been recovering from a knee problem and initially trained separately, although reports suggest he could be included in the squad.

Ugurcan Yazgili has also made progress in his recovery from a muscle issue, with the club confirming that he completed a full training session after returning from treatment, although he is still expected to miss the match.

For Genclerbirligi, Pedro Pereira and Kevin Rodrigues are listed as injured, while Adama Traore and Cheikh Niasse are doubts.

Oghenekaro Etebo was left out of the squad for the previous match, although his absence was not attributed to an injury, while the availability of Ogulcan Ulgun and Sekou Koita remains unclear.

Konyaspor possible starting lineup:

Gungordu; Yagzili, Baniya, Demirbag, Masuaku; Jevtovic, Ibrahimoglu; Turuc, Toth, Goncalves; Muleka

Genclerbirligi possible starting lineup:

Egribayat; Uzum, Baltaci, Goutas, Thalisson; Diabate; Luis, Ucan, Tongya, Gouveia; Mendes

We say: Konyaspor 1-0 Genclerbirligi

Konyaspor's attacking struggles make a home win far from certain, but this is a favourable fixture for them to seek a breakthrough, particularly against a side that has struggled to defend away from home

Genclerbirligi have conceded nine goals across their three away matches, and that defensive weakness could prove decisive if Konyaspor can find a way to end their scoring drought and turn a tight contest in their favour

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