The Turkish Cup final is upon us this weekend as Kayserispor look to get their hands back on the trophy for just the first time since 2008 as Sivasspor aim for their first-ever trophy in Turkey outside of their lower-league triumphs.
Kayserispor have only won the Turkish Cup once before, and it makes this encounter in the final one for the history books within itself with this final being just the second in history to have only one previous winners’ medal on the table since the chance from two-legged affairs to a one-off final matchup.
📸 pic.twitter.com/2AtpbYEYna— Yukatel Kayserispor (@KayserisporFK) May 24, 2022
📸 pic.twitter.com/2AtpbYEYna
Kayserispor won their sole Turkish Cup back in 2008 when they defeated Gençlerbirliği on penalties, and as for Sivasspor, this is the closest they have got to major silverware since they finished second in the Süper Lig back in 2009.
On the other hand, despite a fantastic run to the final, neither side have had that much to boast about on the league front.
The Kayseri side finished 14th in the Super Lig and although they sit just three places above the relegation zone, there was never much fear in the drop as they sit 11 points clear.
Sivasspor, however, climbed up to 10th with a flurry of victories towards the end of the season, which forced them to finish two points above the giants, Galatasaray, and only five behind champions of last season, Besiktas.
The Sivas-based outfit managed to put together a run of four wins from their past five league games to close out the season, and better yet for them heading into this one, they actually beat Kayserispor on the final day of the Super Lig season on home soil thanks to goals from Jorge Felix and Kerem Kesgin.
Kayserispor are, however, coming into this tie with the confidence of their stunning two-legged win over Super Lig champions, Trabzonspor, despite winning only two of their last 10 Super Lig fixtures.
The 14th-placed Super Lig side lost the first leg of the Turkish Cup semi-finals, as it looked as if the league winners were to ease to a league and cup double.
However, a stunning comeback win from going 2-0 down on aggregate set up this final, as Emrah Bassan scored twice, including a winner in the 96th minute after Mame Thiam netted a penalty to bring the tie level in the 91st minute.
It’s set to be a close game given the form and run to this final, and Forebet predicts a draw and the game to see over 2.5 goals.