Preview: Caykur Rizespor vs Konyaspor - prediction, team news, lineups

Two sides settled in the Turkish Super Lig’s mid-table will meet at Caykur Didi Stadyumu on Friday, as Caykur Rizespor host Konyaspor in the opening fixture of round 32.

The hosts are mathematically safe from relegation, sitting 12 points clear of the drop zone with three matches remaining, while the visitors are three points behind them — however, the Black Sea side’s superior goal difference over the teams below means they are also relatively comfortable heading into the final stretch.

Match preview

Recep Ucar, who replaced Ilhan Palut at Rizespor in early December following the latter’s resignation, will be keen to get one over his immediate predecessor when both sides meet on Friday.

Ucar inherited a side sitting 11th in the standings and has since guided them up to ninth, securing a fourth consecutive top-flight campaign for the Black Sea Sparrowhawks.

Under his leadership, Rizespor have recorded six wins and six defeats in 17 league matches, with losses to bottom-placed Fatih Karagumruk and, most recently, second-bottom Kayserispor (2-0) highlighting some inconsistency in their results.

Within that run, they have suffered consecutive league defeats twice, but a key positive has been their strong home form, with just one of those losses coming at Caykur Didi Stadyumu—and that was against league leaders Galatasaray.

Since that defeat, Ucar’s side have won four consecutive home matches, their longest such streak this season, which has been central to their survival push.

They will now aim to make it five in a row at home, though they face a Konyaspor side they have failed to beat in their last four competitive meetings, drawing three and losing one, including a 1-1 stalemate earlier this season.

Palut, meanwhile, has guided Konyaspor up to eighth in the standings, ensuring they remain in the top flight for a 14th consecutive season, and he will also be eager to claim victory against his former club.

Taking over in early February with the team sitting 14th, Palut has overseen 11 league matches, losing just twice while recording six wins in that period.

Even more impressive is their current nine-match unbeaten run across all competitions, which includes a 1-0 extra-time victory over Fenerbahce in the Turkish Cup quarter-final, setting up a semi-final clash with Besiktas.

In the league, the Anatolian Eagles are unbeaten in their last seven matches (5W, 2D), and they followed that cup success with a 2-1 Super Lig win over high-flying Trabzonspor, maintaining their strong momentum.

With the added motivation of facing his former side, Palut will hope his team can extend their impressive run and avoid defeat at Caykur Didi Stadyumu for a third consecutive season, having drawn their last two visits.

Caykur Rizespor Turkish Super Lig form:

Konyaspor Turkish Super Lig form:

Konyaspor form (all competitions):

Team News

Rizespor will remain without Altin Zeqiri, who has missed the last four matches due to injury, while Husniddin Alikulov is closing in on a return after a knee injury sustained in January, although this game may come too soon for him.

The hosts will also be without Romanian forward Valentin Mihaila, who is suspended after accumulating too many yellow cards.

Konyaspor, meanwhile, are dealing with several absentees, including Josip Calusic, Guilherme Sitya and Alassane Ndao, who are all suspended for non-footballing reasons.

On the injury front, Ufuk Akyol remains a long-term absentee with a serious knee issue, Blaz Kramer has suffered a similar setback, and Tunahan Tasci has missed the last three matches.

Berkan Kutlu will also miss this clash due to suspension after accumulating yellow cards, despite scoring a brace in the win over Trabzonspor last time out.

Caykur Rizespor possible starting lineup:

Fofana; Pala, Sagnan, Mocsi, Hojer; Papanikolaou; Mebude, Laci, Olawoyin, Mebude; Sowe

Konyaspor possible starting lineup:

Ertas; Yazgili, Nagalo, Demirbag, Andzouana; Ibrahimoglu, Jevtovic; Turuc, Bardhi, Olaigbe; Muleka

We say: Caykur Rizespor 1-1 Konyaspor

While Rizespor have suffered disappointing losses in recent weeks, their impressive home form cannot be ignored in this clash against an in-form Konyaspor, which is why we believe that this fixture will produce a third consecutive stalemate at Caykur Didi Stadyumu.

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