Caykur Rizespor will host Kasimpasa at the Caykur Didi Stadium on Saturday in their fourth round Turkish Super Lig clash.
The hosts are coming off a disappointing 5-0 defeat at home to Fenerbahce, while the visitors settled for a 2-2 draw with Adana Demirspor.
Match preview
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Caykur Rizespor saw their promising start to the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig campaign derailed against Fenerbahce last time out, suffering their first defeat of the season.
The Black Sea Sparrowhawk were only a goal behind at half-time, but a disastrous second half saw them concede four goals between the 53rd and 66th minutes.
Ilhan Palut's side now have one win, one draw, and one defeat, leaving them four points behind the leaders and in eighth position after three matches.
A quick rebound against Kasimpasa is the next challenge for Rizespor, who will be playing at home for the second week in a row – however, they have struggled against this opponent in their recent encounters.
Before the loss to Fenerbahce, Rizespor were on a six-match unbeaten run at home, including a goalless draw against Saturday's opponents.
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Kasimpasa were on course for their first victory of the season, leading 2-0 thanks to goals from Haris Hajradinovic and Nuno da Costa, but they were unable to maintain their advantage as Yusuf Barasi pulled one back for Adana before Jovan Manev struck in the third minute of injury time to force a draw.
Prior to that, the Apaches lost 3-2 to Konyaspor at home in their opening match of the season and salvaged a 1-1 draw away at Hatayspor on August 19.
Sami Ugurlu's side finished fifth in the table last season – their highest position since returning to the top flight in 2012, but their start to this campaign has left them in 14th place with two points.
Kasimpasa are now heading back on the road, where they have not lost in their last four matches dating back to the previous season – their last away win at Rizespor came five years ago in December 2019.
Team News
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Caykur Rizespor may need to make changes to their starting lineup after a disappointing performance in their last match.
However, Ali Sowe is expected to keep his place in the attack, and Gokhan Akkan will likely remain in goal.
Left-winger Benhur Keser ruptured his tendon earlier this month and will be out until November.
Meanwhile, Kasimpasa have a full squad available for this match, with no injury or suspension concerns.
Da Costa has been in excellent form, scoring in all three league matches so far, and he will be a player to watch this weekend.
Caykur Rizespor possible starting lineup:
Akkan; Sahin, Mocsi, Alikulov, Hojer; Akintola, Papanikolaou; Varesanovic, Olawoyin, Zeqiri; Sowe
Kasimpasa possible starting lineup:
Gianniotis; Winck, Opoku, Ciftpinar, Ozcan; Sadiku; Fall, Hajradinovic, Kara, Ouanes; Da Costa
We say: Caykur Rizespor 1-1 Kasimpasa
Rizespor's recent defeat may have dented their confidence, despite a promising start to the season – however, they possess sufficient quality to earn a positive result against a struggling Kasimpasa side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
