Eyupspor and Caykur Rizespor will kick off round 13 of the Turkish Super Lig when they go head-to-head at Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stadium on Saturday.
The hosts will resume after the international break, hoping to extend their four-match unbeaten streak, while the visitors are looking to win two games in a row.
Match preview
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Eyupspor are having a first top-flight season to remember, having won 50% of their league matches, which has put them in fourth place after 12 matches.
Arda Turan's men edged Adana Demirspor 1-0 just before the international break, thanks to an early goal from Ahmed Kutucu, and this took their points tally to 22, one ahead of fifth-placed Besiktas who have played one fewer game.
The Istanbul-based side are heading into the clash with Rizespor, having kept three clean sheets in their last four games, with the only blemish in that run being a 1-1 draw away at İstanbul Basaksehir.
Eyupspor will be confident of extending their current unbeaten run as they play at home on Saturday, as Turan's side are yet to lose any game on home soil in the top flight, winning four and drawing one of five such matches.
This will be the first meeting in the Super Lig between both teams, but there have been eight encounters between them in the first division, two of which Eyupspor won, with both victories coming on home soil.
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Rizespor's season has been a rollercoaster up until this point, and being 12th in the table after 11 matches would not have looked attainable a couple of weeks ago.
The Black Sea Sparrowhawk kicked off their campaign with a draw against Basaksehir and a win over Adana, but what followed next was five successive defeats, a run that saw Ilhan Palut's side fail to score a single goal while conceding 13.
However, successive wins over Antalyaspor and Bodrumspor set their season back on track, and though they lost to Sivasspor after those wins, Rizespor bounced back with an impressive 3-1 victory over Trabzonspor just before the international break.
With only two points separating the Black Sea Sparrowhawk from the relegation zone, the visitors must avoid another blip to steer further away.
A 1-0 win on their last trip to Eyupspor in 2023 would leave Palut's side with some hopes of picking up a positive result against an in-form host.
Team News
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Eyupspor will be without Kutucu, who has scored five league goals so far, as the forward is nursing a back injury that is expected to keep him sidelined until next month.
Midfielder Recep Niyaz might also remain sidelined with the knee injury that has kept him out for the last couple of weeks.
Rizespor could still be without Benhur Kese, who is recovering from an ankle injury that is predicted to keep him out until next month.
Casper Hojer Nielsen is confirmed to miss the game with a muscle injury that is also expected to keep him out until early December.
Eyupspor possible starting lineup:
Ozer; Dubois, Claro, Vezo, Yalcin; Ilter, Shelvey; Ampem, Kabasakal, Akbaba; Thiam
Caykur Rizespor possible starting lineup:
Grbic; Sahin, Mocsi, Alikulov, Pala; Hadziahmetovic, Olawoyin; Varesanovic, Ghezzal, David; Sowe
We say: Eyupspor 2-1 Caykur Rizespor
Eyupspor have been almost unstoppable on home soil this season, and we believe that they will have the edge against Rizespor, who are still looking for consistency, and that is why we are predicting a win for the hosts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Cole
