Preview: Eyupspor vs Kocaelispor - prediction, team news, lineups

Eyupspor will attempt to claim valuable points in their bid for Turkish Super Lig survival when they host a struggling Kocaelispor side at the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stadyumu on Monday.

The visitors arrive on a three-match losing streak across all competitions – including two defeats in the Super Lig – and with the hosts having taken four points from their last two league outings, there is reason for optimism among the home supporters.

Match preview

Atila Gerin took charge of Eyupspor in January following the mutual departure of Orhan Ak, with the primary objective of steering the club clear of relegation, and since his appointment, the new manager has overseen two wins from seven league matches.

The Purple and Yellows have collected 10 points from a possible 21 under Gerin, a return that has lifted them to a position just one place and two points above the relegation zone.

However, with 30 points still available before the end of the season, there remains significant work to be done to secure their top-flight status.

Eyupspor are currently unbeaten in their last two league matches, following a narrow 1-0 victory over Genclerbirligi with a hard-fought goalless draw away at Goztepe in their most recent outing.

The Purple and Yellows will now hope to replicate the three-match unbeaten run they managed shortly after Gerin’s arrival in January.

That said, the hosts must quickly move on from their midweek disappointment in the Turkish Cup, where a 1-0 defeat to Konyaspor brought their cup campaign to an end, though in the long term, that exit may allow them to concentrate fully on their league survival battle.

Meetings between Eyupspor and Kocaelispor have historically been closely contested – across seven competitive encounters, both sides have recorded two victories each alongside three draws.

However, their first-ever Super Lig meeting only happened earlier this season, and it ended in a narrow 1-0 win for Kocaelispor, who will hope to now complete a season-double over the hosts for the first time in history.

The visitors now arrive in a run of form reminiscent of their early-season struggles, with Selcuk Inan’s side finding it difficult to score goals and string together positive results.

Kocaelispor have suffered back-to-back league defeats, losing 2-0 to Caykur Rizespor before falling 1-0 to Besiktas, and matters worsened further in midweek when they were knocked out of the Turkish Cup after a shock 1-0 defeat away to lower-tier Beyoglu Yeni Carsi.

They will now look to avoid a third successive league defeat, something they have not experienced since losing their opening three matches of the Super Lig season.

Despite their current slump, Kocaelispor are not in immediate danger in the standings, with the Gulf sitting eighth with 30 points, 10 points clear of the relegation zone, though they are also 16 points adrift of the European places.

As such, a comfortable mid-table finish would represent a respectable outcome in their first top-flight campaign following a 16-year absence.

Eyupspor Turkish Super Lig form:

Eyupspor form (all competitions):

Kocaelispor Turkish Super Lig form:

Kocaelispor form (all competitions):

Team News

Eyupspor have no confirmed absentees heading into this match, although Ukrainian midfielder Taras Stepanenko remains doubtful as he continues his recovery from an injury sustained in January.

Dorin Rotariu was forced off with an injury during the Turkish Cup defeat to Konyaspor, and his availability will depend on the extent of that problem.

Striker Umut Bozok averages the most shots on target per match for the hosts this season (0.9), but he is currently enduring a three-game goal drought and will be eager to rediscover his scoring touch on Monday.

Kocaelispor will remain without defender Mateusz Wieteska, who has been sidelined with a knee injury since August.

Mahamadou Susoho is also unavailable through injury, while Aleksandar Jovanovic is still working his way back to full fitness and remains a doubt for this encounter.

Eyupspor possible starting lineup:

Yilmaz; Ulvan, Ozyurt, Onguene, Meras; Gezek, Taskin, Legowski; Torres, Bozok, Pintor

Kocaelispor possible starting lineup:

Degirmenci; Oguz, Balogh, Smolcic, Haidara; Keita, Show, Linetty; Bingol, Petkovic, Agyei

We say: Eyupspor 1-0 Kocaelispor

Eyupspor appear slightly better positioned heading into this game given the modest improvement under Gerin, as they are tougher to break down recently.

Kocaelispor arrive struggling for goals and confidence after several defeats across competitions, and with home advantage and momentum, the hosts could edge a tight contest.

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