Preview: Konyaspor vs Caykur Rizespor - prediction, team news, lineups

The Turkish Super Lig is back and in the first round of fixtures Konyaspor will welcome Caykur Rizespor to the Konya Municipality Stadium for a tasty Saturday night clash.

While Turkish football has dominated the headlines this summer thanks to a string of blockbuster transfers, both of these mid-table sides have taken a more cautious approach in the market, which could make life even more difficult as they attempt to compete with the Super Lig’s heavyweight clubs.

Match preview

Mason Greenwood, Dusan Vlahovic, Mohamed Salah, Romelu Lukaku, Leandro Trossard, Nathan Ake… no, this is not the Saudi Pro League’s latest wish list. These are some of the high-profile transfers completed by Turkish clubs this season.

Unfortunately for Konyaspor fans, none of these big names decided to ply their trade in the sixth-most populous city in Turkey.

Nevertheless, the Anatolian Eagles have recruited six new players over the summer, including the £1m transfer of centre-back Chidozie Awaziem from Ligue 2’s FC Nantes.

Those additions were certainly necessary, given the huge number of players that exited the club over the summer - departures that left head coach Ilhan Palut with a lot of vacancies to fill.

Transfers aside, the dugouts provide another intriguing subplot ahead of Saturday's meeting, with the two managers having effectively swapped clubs over the last couple of seasons.

Palut is currently in his second spell in charge of Konyaspor, having returned to the club last February after Cagdas Atan was dismissed following a 10-match winless run.

The 49-year-old will be hoping to recapture the form of his first spell, when he guided Konyaspor to an impressive third-place finish in the Super Lig in 2021-22.

Rizespor, meanwhile, are managed by Recep Ucar, who knows Konyaspor particularly well after spending time in charge of Saturday's opponents just a couple of seasons ago.

Ucar took over at Rizespor in December following Palut's resignation and subsequently guided the Black Sea club to an eighth-place finish in the Super Lig.

That was one place above Konyaspor, adding another layer of intrigue to Saturday's encounter.

Like their opponents, Rizespor have resisted the temptation to spend heavily despite the transfer activity elsewhere in the division. They have, however, strengthened their defence by signing three players from the French lower leagues for a combined fee of around £3m.

Their preparations for the new campaign have also been encouraging, with Rizespor picking up several wins during pre-season. Their only defeat came against newly promoted Premier League side Hull City.

With both clubs looking to build on promising preparations, two managers with plenty of history facing their former employers and the backdrop of an increasingly competitive Super Lig, there is certainly no shortage of talking points ahead of Saturday's opener.

Konyaspor form (all competitions):

Caykur Rizespor form (all competitions):

Team News

Konyaspor have no major injuries to report ahead of Saturday’s season opener, but a couple of the new signings could get their first opportunity.

Awaziem was the headline summer signing, and the centre-back is expected to lead the defensive effort.

Experienced left-back Arthur Masuaku is also expected to start following his move from Sunderland. It is worth noting that the 32-year-old started all four games for DR Congo at this summer’s World Cup.

When it comes to Rizespor, the visitors are still missing centre-back Khusniddin Alikulov due to a ligament tear - an injury that is expected to keep the player on the shelf for another two months.

Zakaria Ariss is expected to start at left-back following his transfer from Ligue 3 side SC Bastia over the summer.

The same goes for Modibo Sagnan, who should start at centre-back following his big move from Montpellier.

Konyaspor possible starting lineup:

Gungordu; Masuaku, Awaziem, Demirbag, Andzouana; Jevtovic, Ibrahimoglu; Muleka, Bardhi, Turuc; Kramer

Caykur Rizespor possible starting lineup:

Fofana; Ariss, Sagnan, Mocsi, Sahin; Antalyali, Laci; Mihaila, Olawoyin, Mebude; Sowe

We say: Konyaspor 1-1 Caykur Rizespor

The first competitive game of the season always comes with uncertainties, but given how closely matched these clubs are, a close encounter is expected.

Konyaspor will want to please their home fans with an early win, though it is worth noting that two of the last four meetings ended in a 1-1 draw. With that in mind, we are backing that same outcome.

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