Preview: Fatih Karagumruk vs Caykur Rizespor - prediction, team news, lineups

Fatih Karagumruk host Caykur Rizespor at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium on Sunday afternoon hoping for a victory that could breathe life into their fading hopes of remaining in the Turkish Super Lig next season.

Rooted to the bottom of the table for much of the campaign, the Black Red will view the seven-point gap to safety as one that can still be closed; however, doing so will require a level of consistency they have rarely shown throughout the season, starting with a fixture in which they have historically performed strongly at home.

Match preview

Life back in the top flight has proven gruelling for Karagumruk, who have struggled for stability throughout the 2025-26 campaign – nevertheless, the appointment of Aleksandar Stanojevic has occasionally sparked signs of improvement.

The Black Red produced one of the biggest shocks of the season when they defeated Fenerbahce 2-0, but they were unable to build on that momentum; instead, they slipped to a disappointing 1-0 defeat against fellow strugglers Kayserispor in their following match, a game in which they were reduced to 10 men after Matias Kranevitter was sent off in the 37th minute.

That defeat ended a three-match unbeaten run across all competitions consisting of two wins and one draw, including two league matches that produced one win and one draw, with Stanojevic now looking to regroup, a return to home surroundings could provide a timely boost.

The Ataturk Olympic Stadium has recently become something of a fortress for Karagumruk, as they are unbeaten in their last three Super Lig matches at the venue, recording two victories and a draw, which offers encouragement ahead of this meeting with a side they have historically dominated at home.

Karagumruk have won all four home encounters against Rizespor, scoring seven goals and keeping clean sheets across the last three meetings.

Rizespor arrive in Istanbul after an extended break of more than three weeks after their scheduled match against Samsunspor was postponed before the international break due to the hosts' European commitments.

That additional time allowed them to reflect on a narrow 1-0 defeat to Trabzonspor, which brought an end to their three-match winning streak in the league and halted a four-game unbeaten run consisting of three victories and one draw.

The goal conceded in that match also ended a sequence of three consecutive clean sheets in the Super Lig, though head coach Recep Ucar will likely view the defeat as a temporary setback, with the challenge now being producing an immediate response at a ground that has historically been difficult for them.

The Sparrowhawks have lost their last two away matches, although those defeats came against strong opposition in Trabzonspor, in the league, and Besiktas in the Turkish Cup – prior to those games, they had gone three away fixtures unbeaten, defeating Kasimpasa after away draws with Genclerbirligi and Istanbul Basaksehir.

Fatih Karagumruk Turkish Super Lig form:

Fatih Karagumruk form (all competitions):

Caykur Rizespor Turkish Super Lig form:

Caykur Rizespor form (all competitions):

Team News

Karagumruk will remain without Joao Camacho, who has been sidelined since November with injury, while Kranevitter is suspended following his red card in the previous match.

Sam Larsson, Davide Biraschi and Shavy Babicka will all undergo late fitness tests to determine their availability for Sunday, while Daniele Verde is also considered a doubt.

Stanojevic is expected to rely on Tiago Cukur to lead the attack once again despite the striker scoring just once in the league this season, while Daniel Johnson is likely to continue in midfield after replacing Kranevitter following the red card last time out.

Rizespor, meanwhile, remain without defender Husniddin Alikulov, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus injury in January, while Casper Hojer is also doubtful for this match.

However, the visitors will welcome the return of influential midfielder Qazim Laci, who missed the previous match due to suspension and should add additional creativity to their midfield.

Fatih Karagumruk possible starting lineup:

Grbic; Esgaio, Lichnovsky, Cinar, Mladenovic; Elmaz, Johnson; Serginho, Ozcan, Kalayci; Cukur

Caykur Rizespor possible starting lineup:

Fofana; Pala, Sagnan, Akaydin, Orak; Antalyalii; Mihaila, Laci, Olawoyin, Mebude; Sowe

We say: Fatih Karagumruk 1-1 Caykur Rizespor

History and home form favours Karagumruk heading into this one, but losing to Trabzonspor is not enough to conclude that Rizespor have lost their recent spark, and with that in mind, sharing the spoils in this game will seem a fair result for both.

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