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

Kocaelispor host Gaziantep in a Super Lig matchday-six fixture at the Yildiz Entegre Kocaeli Stadyumu on Saturday.

Just one point currently separates the two clubs in the Turkish Super Lig table, with Kocaelispor fifth on nine points and Gaziantep seventh on eight after five rounds apiece.

Match preview

Kocaelispor went toe-to-toe with league leaders Galatasaray at RAMS Park last time out, only for Abdulkerim Bardakci's 71st-minute strike from outside the box to settle the contest 1-0.

Goalkeeper Serhat Oztasdelen was central to keeping the scoreline respectable, denying Baris Alper Yilmaz, Deniz Gul and Rafael Leao in the first half alone.

That defeat ended a three-game winning sequence in the league and also snapped Kocaelispor's run of three straight victories over Galatasaray in the fixture.

Dan Agyei struck the woodwork on 38 minutes at RAMS Park and remains the player Selcuk Inan leans on most to break down deep-lying defences.

Kocaelispor have won three, drawn none and lost two of their opening five league matches this term, beating Amed Sportif 2-0 and Samsunspor 1-0 at home either side of a 2-1 comeback win away at Konyaspor.

Selcuk Inan's side memorably thrashed Gaziantep 3-0 at this same venue in February, when Nazim Sangare's 47th-minute red card left the visitors down to ten men for the closing stages.

Gaziantep opened the 2026-27 campaign under Mirel Radoi, drawing 1-1 with Alanyaspor before winning 1-0 away at Eyupspor and then losing 2-1 to Caykur Rizespor.

That single win from three matches proved costly, and Radoi departed Gaziantep Futbol Kulubu by mutual consent on August 31 after 132 days in charge.

Orhan Ak, previously of Eyupspor, was appointed in his place on September 4 and made an instant impact with a 4-2 away win at Goztepe in his first match.

Halil Dervisoglu opened the scoring inside five minutes of that game, Myenty Abena doubled the lead with a near-post header, and Kacper Kozlowski added a second-half brace either side of a Kacper Tobiasz penalty save.

Ak followed that result with a battling goalless draw at home to Fenerbahce in gameweek five, a point he described afterwards as worth its weight in gold given the gulf in resources between Anadolu clubs and the traditional big four.

Gaziantep sit seventh with two wins, two draws and one defeat from five outings.

There is a personal subplot to Saturday's trip, too, with Ak having begun his own playing career at Kocaelispor between 1996 and 2003 before moving on to Galatasaray.

Kocaelispor Turkish Super Lig form:

Gaziantep Turkish Super Lig form:

Team News

Selcuk Inan is expected to avoid wholesale changes following a battling display against Galatasaray, though Makana Baku could come in on the left in place of Agyei.

Bruno Petkovic remains sidelined and is not expected back for four to six weeks, while Inan confirmed goalkeeper Aleksandar Jovanovic and midfielder Rigoberto Rivas will only resume full training once the international break begins, ruling both out of the Gaziantep game.

For the visitors, winger Sontje Hansen returned to the substitutes' bench for the Fenerbahce game and is pushing for his first involvement of the season under Orhan Ak.

Gaziantep will again be without three players for the trip to Kocaeli, with Ali Kalin, Nazim Sangare and Fuat Bavuk all unavailable.

Kocaelispor possible starting lineup:

Oztasdelen; Haidara, Maglica, Zoukrou, Dijksteel; Susoho, Show, Kutlu; Baku, Aye, Sousa

Gaziantep possible starting lineup:

Tobiasz; Calhanoglu, Abena, Kizildag, Perez; Meleke; Kozlowski, Maxim, Gidado, Sorescu; Dervisoglu

We say: Kocaelispor 2-1 Gaziantep

Kocaelispor's emphatic 3-0 win over these exact opponents at this exact venue in February points toward the hosts edging a tight contest, even against a Gaziantep side that has traveled well this season.

Gaziantep have actually won two of their three away league games this season, but their only defeat of the campaign came on the road at Caykur Rizespor, and Kocaelispor thrashed them 3-0 the last time the two sides met at this venue.

Kocaelispor's attacking momentum from three straight wins in August and early September, plus home advantage and a settled defensive unit, should be enough to see off a Gaziantep side still adjusting to its third head coach of the year.

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