Preview: Fatih Karagumruk vs Kocaelispor - prediction, team news, lineups

Two newly promoted teams heading in contrasting directions meet for the first time in the Turkish Super Lig on Sunday, as Fatih Karagumruk welcome Kocaelispor to the Ataturk Olimpiyat Stadium.

The Black Red earned their return via the playoffs, while the Gulf ended a 16-year wait for top-flight football by lifting the second-division title – yet their fortunes at this level have quickly drifted apart.

Match preview

Karagumruk, one of Istanbul’s oldest professional clubs, have long struggled to re-establish themselves as a consistent presence in the Super Lig.

After finally returning in 2020-21, they managed three seasons before dropping back down, only to secure an immediate return – however, their latest campaign is beginning to resemble previous struggles, with just eight points on the board and a six-point gap to safety leaving them firmly anchored to the bottom.

Onur Can Korkmaz, the coach who guided their promotion, was initially moved aside for Marcel Licka in an attempt to stabilise the club, but was reinstated when results failed to improve.

Under his renewed leadership, Karagumruk have collected four points from five league matches, supplemented by a 5-2 Turkish Cup win over Erokspor.

Nonetheless, their current pace is not enough to avoid another drop, and back-to-back defeats to Besiktas (2-0) and fellow newcomers Genclerbirligi (3-0) underline the scale of the task ahead.

Kocaelispor experienced a similarly testing start, failing to win any of their opening seven league fixtures (2D, 5L) – yet the Gulf have since undergone a sharp revival.

Selcuk Inan’s side have amassed 17 points from their last eight matches (5W, 2D, 1L), propelling them to eighth place and giving them a far more secure footing.

Much of their success has been built at home, where they are unbeaten in seven (4W, 3D) – their away record, however, remains a concern, with no team collecting fewer points on the road (4).

However, recent outings suggest improvement, with those points arriving across their last three away trips (1W, 1D, 1L), and given Karagumruk’s struggles, Kocaelispor will view this as a major chance to build momentum.

Confidence will also come from their history in this fixture: they have never lost to the Black Red in competitive meetings, earning three wins and a draw in their four second-tier clashes.

Fatih Karagumruk Turkish Super Lig form:

Fatih Karagumruk form (all competitions):

Kocaelispor Turkish Super Lig form:

Kocaelispor form (all competitions):

Team News

Karagumruk remain without Furkan Beklevic and Kerem Yusuf Sirkeci, both suspended due to the ongoing betting investigation.

Ahmet Sivri, sidelined since his injury against Caykur Rizespor in November, is expected to miss out again, while Tiago Cukur, absent for two matches, and Sam Larsson, out for four, are doubts for this fixture.

Kocaelispor continue to be without Mateusz Wieteska as he recovers from a long-term knee injury, while Ahmet Oguz serves a suspension for accumulated bookings.

Hrvoje Smolcic, who was forced off against Kasimpasa, is being assessed, and Daniel Agyei has missed the last two games through injury.

Fatih Karagumruk possible starting lineup:

Grbic; Cankaya, Roco, Kadioglu, Esgaio; Doh, Kranevitter; Serginho, Ozcan, Johnson; Fofana

Kocaelispor possible starting lineup:

Jovanovic; Djiksteel, Balogh, Syrota, Haidara; Linetty, Show; Churlinov, Boende, Bingol; Dursun

We say: Fatih Karagumruk 0-2 Kocaelispor

Kocaelispor come into this match in far better form, and although their away record remains a concern, they have shown recent signs of improvement on the road.

The Black Red’s struggles at both ends of the pitch make it difficult to back them despite home advantage, and unless the hosts produce a significant shift in performance, the visitors look set to record another victory here.

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