Caykur Rizespor will hope to win three straight matches in the Turkish Super Lig when they host Kayserispor at Caykur Didi Stadyumu on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the visitors are coming into this clash on the back of a 6-2 thrashing at the hands of Fenerbahce last Saturday.
Match preview
© Imago
Rizespor have turned their season around in a good way, with the Black Sea Sparrowhawk winning four of their last five Super Lig matches, after just one win in their opening seven.
Prior to their recent good run, Ilhan Palut's side had lost five straight matches without finding the net and conceding 13 goals, but they have now scored nine times in their last five matches.
The loss to Sivasspor is the only negative in their erstwhile great couple of weeks, standing in between back-to-back wins against Alanyaspor and Antalyaspor, and two wins in a row against Trabzonspor and Eyupspor.
The Black Sea Sparrowhawk conceded in the 27th minute to trail at the break, but second-half goals from Dal Varesanovic and Ali Sow helped turn things around against Eyupspor last Saturday.
With 16 points, Rizespor are now six points off fourth-place Eyupspor who have played one extra game, while they are five points above the relegation zone.
Palut will be hoping for a repeat of the 3-0 home win over Kayserispor back in March when both teams face off on Sunday, and if recent history is anything to go by, he is likely to get that wish, given that whoever hosts this fixture has won almost every time since 2019.
The last time that the visiting team won this fixture was back in 2017, and in the 10 meetings since then, the home side has won eight times, with Rizespor winning all five they have hosted.
© Imago
However, Kayserispor will hope to quickly recover after losing their five-match unbeaten run to Fenerbahce in an embarrassing way last time out.
It was also the first defeat since Sinan Kaloglu took over as manager, in what was his fifth game since replacing Burak Yilmaz.
With just one point and spot between the Anatolian Stars and the first team in the relegation zone, any further slip-up could prove more fatal and jeopardize the good work they have done in recent weeks.
Kayserispor will fancy their chances in Sunday's clash given their recent good record on the road - the Kayseri-based side are unbeaten in their last three away matches with victories in the most recent two.
Team News
© Imago
Rizespor will be missing 27-year-old midfielder Amir Hadziahmetovic, who was sent off in the closing stages of the win over Eyupspor, and Babajide David, who is suspended after accumulating an unwanted number of cautions.
Casper Hojer Nielsen is the only confirmed absentee through injury, with the Danish left-back expected to return from a muscle injury next week.
Kayserispor will also be without star forward Miguel Cardoso, with the striker suspended after accumulating an unhealthy number of yellow cards.
Fellow forward Carlos Mane will also reportedly miss the clash due to personal reasons, while centre-back Majid Hosseini continues to struggle with a knee injury.
Caykur Rizespor possible starting lineup:
Grbic; Sahin, Mocsi, Alikulov, Pala; Papanikolaou Olawoyin; Ghezzal, Varesanovic, Bulut; Sowe
Kayserispor possible starting lineup:
Bayazit; Kolovetsios, Carole, Janvier; Kaldirim, Bourabia, Yilmaz, Gezek, Sazdagi; Nazon, Bahoken
We say: Caykur Rizespor 2-1 Kayserispor
While Kayserispor are unbeaten in their last three away matches in the Super Lig, this is expected to be their biggest away test yet in recent weeks against a Rizespor side that are on the rise and have won their last two home matches.
We are predicting a win for the home side, due to the recent history in this fixture and the recent rise of the hosts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
