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

Kocaelispor will be aiming to maintain their newfound momentum when they host Alanyaspor at the Kocaeli Stadium in the Turkish Super Lig on Saturday afternoon.

Having claimed their first league victory just two weeks ago, Selcuk Inan’s side have now recorded consecutive wins, and morale within the camp is understandably high.

Match preview

Things are beginning to look up for Kocaelispor after a difficult start to life in the top flight, where the Gulf failed to win any of their opening seven matches (2D, 5L).

Tayfur Bingol has emerged as the man in form, scoring three goals in his last three appearances, including a brace that helped the Izmit club secure a 3-2 triumph away at Konyaspor last Saturday.

Once bottom of the table after seven games, Inan’s men have now climbed out of the relegation zone, sitting one point clear, and the coach expressed his delight after last weekend’s result, dedicating the win to a devoted fan who recently passed away.

Kocaelispor know they cannot afford to ease off, and Inan has called on supporters to turn out in force on Saturday, acknowledging that home attendances tend to dip for weekend fixtures.

This will be the Gulf’s first-ever league meeting with Alanyaspor, the only previous encounter coming in the Turkish Cup in 2023, which ended in a 1-0 defeat for Kocaeli.

One major area of improvement has been Kocaelispor’s attack, having scored six goals in their last five matches, compared to just three in their opening four, and Inan will be hoping that sharpness continues.

Meanwhile, Alanyaspor travel in good spirits after ending a four-match winless run (3D, 1L) with a narrow 1-0 victory over Goztepe last time out.

Head coach Joao Pereira has urged consistency from his side following that result and has set a 40-point target for the season, believing it would be enough to guarantee safety.

With 13 points from nine matches, the Thunders are on course, and having claimed seven of those points on the road, they will be confident of extending their unbeaten away run to five games (1W, 3D).

This will be Alanyaspor’s first visit to the Kocaeli Stadium, and with the home side admitting they often struggle for big Saturday crowds, the visitors may fancy their chances of taking at least a point.

Kocaelispor Turkish Super Lig form:

Alanyaspor Turkish Super Lig form:

Team News

Kocaelispor are contending with several injury concerns ahead of the fixture, as left-back Massadio Haidara remains sidelined, while long-term absentee Mateusz Wieteska continues his recovery from a serious knee injury sustained on the opening weekend.

Bruno Petkovic – who averages the most shots on target per match for the team (1.0) – missed the victory over Konyaspor due to injury, while Macedonian forward Darko Churlinov remains doubtful.

Inan spoke of the competition for places within his squad, praising Daniel Agyei’s performances in training, which earned him a return to the starting line-up last time out.

However, he was critical of Can Keles, who featured only as a substitute, and noted that Ahmet Sagat missed out entirely due to below-par training displays.

The team will look to Joseph Boende for creative spark again, having created the most big chances for Kocaelispor (3).

Alanyaspor, meanwhile, remain without Buluthan Bulut, who has yet to recover from a long-term injury that has sidelined him since the start of the season.

Beninese striker Steve Mounie and forward Guven Yalcin are also ruled out through injury, while experienced defender Fidan Aliti misses out due to suspension following an accumulation of yellow cards, though midfield loanee Show returns to the squad after serving a one-match ban.

Gaius Makouta has created the most big chances for Alanyaspor (2), while Uchenna Ogundu has the most shots on target per match for Alanyaspor (1.2) – both players will likely be important to anything the visitors pull off in attack.

Kocaelispor possible starting lineup:

Jovanovic; Oguz, Balogh, Smolcic, Syrota; Boende, Keita; Agyei, Bingol, Linetty; Dursun

Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:

Taskiran; Lima, Viana, Akdag; Rouan, Makouta, Maestro, Ozdemir; Kaya, Hagi; Ogundu

We say: Kocaelispor 1-1 Alanyaspor

Both sides come into this clash in solid form, suggesting a closely contested encounter at the Kocaeli Stadium, with Kocaelispor’s recent resurgence under Inan lifting their confidence, while Alanyaspor’s resilience on the road makes them tough to beat.

With both teams improving their finishing and creating chances more efficiently, this fixture could see momentum swing back and forth without a decisive edge.

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