Round eight of the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig season will commence with Caykur Rizespor hosting Antalyaspor at Caykur Didi Stadyumu on Friday evening.
The hosts are aiming to terminate a five-match losing streak, while the visitors have not secured a victory in their last two matches.
Match preview
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Rizespor's opening two matches suggested that they were poised for a successful season, drawing with Istanbul Basaksehir before securing a victory over Adana Demirspor.
However, they have since suffered five consecutive defeats without scoring while conceding 13 times, leaving Ilhan Palut's side languishing in 16th place with just four points.
Their most recent match was at home against Alanyaspor, a game that the Black Sea Sparrowhawk lost 1-0, as they conceded in the 33rd minute and were unable to find a way back into the game.
Rizespor are back at home against Antalyaspor, a side they have not lost to in their last four encounters, winning and drawing two each, with three of those matches taking place in the Super Lig and the last being a friendly.
However, the hosts are without a win in their last six home matches in the Super Lig, dating back to the previous season, losing and drawing three each – but their last home victory came against Friday's opposition on April 14 (3-0).
Meanwhile, Antalyaspor will be aiming to secure their first away win against Rizespor since 2017, having lost their last four league visits there and drawn one since then.
However, despite being in a stronger position than their hosts, Alex de Souza's team have not been particularly impressive so far, accumulating just eight points from a possible 21, winning and drawing two games each, along with three defeats, which has left them in 13th place.
The Scorpions were defeated at home in their last league match, losing 2-0 to Fenerbahce, conceding two second-half goals despite holding firm in the first half.
Antalyaspor will hope to claim a victory against a struggling opponent on Friday, but the visitors have not won on the road since a 2-0 triumph over Besiktas on March 16, losing five and drawing two away matches in the Super Lig since then.
Team News
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Rizespor's only absentee is Benhur Keser, as the midfielder continues to recover from an ankle injury that is expected to sideline him for several weeks.
The hosts have scored just three goals this season, with centre-back Khusniddin Alikulov netting two and centre-forward Ali Sowe finding the net once.
With the Black Sea Sparrowhawk failing to score in their last five matches, Palut could make some changes to his attack, potentially bringing Babajide David back into the starting XI.
Emrecan Uzunhan sustained a muscle injury in Antalyaspor's victory against Adana Demirspor on September 16 and remains sidelined for the next couple of weeks.
He is joined on the hosts' treatment table by Bunyamin Balci, who is also out for the next few weeks with a finger injury.
Caykur Rizespor possible starting lineup:
Grbic; Sahin, Mocsi, Alikulov, Hojer; Papanikolaou, Hadziahmetovic; David, Olawoyin, Zeqiri; Sowe
Antalyaspor possible starting lineup:
Piric; Yilmaz, Sari, Thalisson, Vural; Petrusenko, Rakip; Townsend, Kaluzinski, Djenepo; Samudio
We say: Caykur Rizespor 1-1 Antalyaspor
This is a clash between two of the worst defences in the Super Lig this season, and their respective attacks have also struggled, with Rizespor failing to score in five matches and Antalyaspor in the last two – considering these factors, we have opted to predict a draw between them with few goals.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
