Having won two of their last three games apiece, Caykur Rizespor and Gaziantep face off at the Didi Stadyumu on Sunday.

Both teams currently find themselves in the bottom half of the Super Lig table and will be looking to move up the standings in the second half of the season.

Match preview

Rizespor were denied a third win on the bounce following a 1-1 draw versus Sivasspor at the Yeni 4 Eylul Stadyumu on Wednesday.

Hamza Hamzaoglu's men went behind to Olanrewaju Kayode's opener in the 72nd minute before hitting back through Joel Pohjanpalo 90 seconds later.

The Black Sea Sparrowhawks are in the relegation zone as things stand, albeit only a point adrift of safety after the first 18 rounds of matches.

Awaiting them next is the challenge of an opposing side who have lost six of the last nine meetings between the teams, including both of the last season's league clashes.

Having picked up 16 of their 17 points so far on home turf, Sunday's hosts will be confident of coming away with all three points come the sound of the final whistle this weekend.

Gaziantep made it five consecutive home wins across all competitions with a 2-1 triumph over Alanyaspor on Wednesday.

Erol Bulut's men opened the scoring 10 minutes into the second half thanks to Furkan Soyalp but were pegged back five minutes later by Joao Novais before Famara Diedhiou put the ball past his own goalkeeper to decide the game.

With seven points from the last nine available, Sunday's hosts have risen to 11th place in the league table, a point off the top half.

However, they currently possess the second-worst away record in the division, managing just two points from their nine outings on the road.

Team News

Ronaldo Mendes is ruled out through a knee problem which has limited him to just two appearances this term.

Alper Potuk and Baiano Fabricio were both sent off last time out and are suspended for this weekend's contest.

Gaziantep's duo of Torgeir Borven and Jefferson will not feature in this one as they continue to battle with muscle injuries.

The away side will also be without the services of Recep Niyaz and Angelo Sagal, who are sidelined with knee and ankle injuries respectively.

Caykur Rizespor possible starting lineup:
Cetin; Sertel, Topcu, Ay, Holmen; Djokovic, Pehlivan, Hummet; Umar, Pohjanpalo, Boldrin

Gaziantep possible starting lineup:
Guvenc; Pehlivan, Tosca, Caulker, Djilobodji, Kitsiou; Maxim, Erdogan, Soyalp; Demir, Brandao

We say: Caykur Rizespor 2-1 Gaziantep

Gaziantep have struggled away from home all-season long, and we expect that trend to continue here with Rizespor narrowly emerging victorious at the end of the 90 minutes.

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