Preview:Caykur Rizespor vs. Galatasaray - prediction, team news, lineups

Galatasaray will travel to face Caykur Rizespor at the Caykur Didi Stadium, aiming to maintain their lead at the top of the Turkish Super Lig table.

The visitors will hope to put behind a challenging week, which included controversy in their match against Adana Demirspor and a heavy loss to AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League.

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Match preview

Galatasaray retained their six-point advantage at the top of the Super Lig after securing maximum points against bottom-placed Adana, albeit in controversial circumstances.

Cimbom dominated from the start as expected and took the lead in the 12th minute through a penalty from Alvaro Morata, following a foul on Dries Mertens.

However, just 16 minutes later, Adana's manager instructed his players to leave the pitch in protest against the penalty decision, leading to the match being abandoned, and investigations later revealed that the order came from the club chairman, Murat Sancak, who has since resigned due to the fallout.

Away from domestic drama, Galatasaray faced Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League knockout playoffs on Thursday, suffering a heavy 4-1 defeat, leaving the Turkish champions with a huge task ahead in the return leg next Thursday.

Before turning their attention to the Europa League, Cimbom will focus on the Super Lig as they visit Rizespor, aiming to preserve their six-point lead over title rivals Fenerbahce.

Historically, Galatasaray has been dominant in this fixture, winning 33 of their 50 encounters with Rizespor, including the last five, all in the Super Lig.

Meanwhile, Rizespor are coming off two consecutive league defeats, including a 3-2 loss at Kasimpasa, which followed a similar defeat to Fenerbahce.

These results have dropped Ilhan Palut's side to 12th in the table, with 27 points after 22 matches, seven points clear of the relegation zone.

A third straight loss could pull the Black Sea Sparrowhawk closer to the danger zone, and facing dominant Galatasaray at this time adds to their challenges.

However, Rizespor will look to their home support for inspiration once more, having gone nine competitive home games without defeat.

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Team News

Rizespor will be without Dal Varesanovic and Samet Akaydin, both suspended due to accumulated yellow cards.

Eray Korkmaz is the only injury concern, although Ibrahim Olawoyin and Rachid Ghezzal return to the starting XI after serving suspensions.

Galatasaray, on the other hand, will miss Yunus Akgun and Ismail Jakobs, both sidelined with muscle injuries.

Mauro Icardi, who suffered a cruciate ligament tear, will be out for the remainder of the season. However, Fernando Muslera, Lucas Torreira, Abdulkerim Bardakci and Baris Alper Yilmaz are back in the squad after serving their suspensions.

Caykur Rizespor possible starting lineup: Grbic; Sahin, Mocsi, Alikulov, Hojer; Olawoyin, Papanikolaou; Akintola, Omur, Ghezzal; Sowe

Galatasaray possible starting lineup: Muslera; Sanchez, Cuesta, Bardakci; Kutucu, Sara, Lemina, Frankowski; Mertens; Osimhen, Morata

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We say: Caykur Rizespor 1-3 Galatasaray

Galatasaray is likely to extend their lead at the top with a commanding win over Rizespor despite the hosts' strong home record.

Cimbom's superior quality and dominance in this fixture should see them secure all three points, maintaining their six-point advantage in the Super Lig standings.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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