Looking to keep their faint hopes of finishing inside the top four alive, Kasimpasa will make the trip to Caykur Didi Stadium on Saturday night to face Caykur Rizespor in the Turkish Super Lig.
The Black Sea Sparrowhawks are enduring a worrying winless run of late, whereas the Apaches recorded a convincing home success over Antalyaspor last time out.
Match preview
Caykur Rizespor extended their winless run in the Super Lig to a concerning four matches last Sunday, when relegation-threatened Pendikspor were able to collect maximum points from their visitors from Rize to boost their chances of avoiding second-tier football next term.
Former Liverpool and Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey put the Black Sea Sparrowhawks ahead in the first half, but 19th-placed Pendikspor managed to turn the contest on its head in the second period, with Mame Thiam and Umut Nayir breaching the net of Tarik Cetin.
Having collected just one point from their last four Super Lig matches, Ilhan Palut's troops have dropped to eighth in the top-flight standings heading into the penultimate contest of the term, five points ahead of 11th-placed Demirspor who lead the bottom half of the division.
Rizespor's record at the Caykur Didi has been sensational this season, with Saturday's hosts winning 11 and collecting 37 points from 18 home Super Lig games at their Rize base, with only Turkish giants Galatasaray (54) and Fenerbahce (45) earning more points at their respective home venues.
Kasimpasa kept their slim chances of reaching the qualifying rounds of the Conference League alive last weekend, when the Apaches recorded a 3-1 victory over mid-table dwellers Antalyaspor, whose season is beginning to seriously peter out under the leadership of Sergen Yalcin.
The hosts raced into a comfortable two-goal lead by the half-time whistle courtesy of strikes from Julien Ngoy and Nuno Da Costa, with midfielder Haris Hajradinovic adding a third in the second period before Amar Gerxhaliu hit a consolation for the 10-man visitors during added-on time.
Hurtling towards the end of the 2023-24 campaign, Sami Ugurlu's side are currently occupying sixth position in the Super Lig table, six points behind fourth-placed Istanbul Basaksehir, who - as things stand - will be flying the flag for Turkey in the revamped Conference League next season.
With six points left to fight for this term, it is needless to say that the Apaches cannot afford a repeat of December's meeting between the sides, when Kasimpasa dropped two points against Rizespor following a 2-2 draw in Istanbul.
Team News
Rizespor are set to be without the services of right-winger Benhur Keser, who is expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the term due to a foot injury.
Janne-Pekka Laine has not featured this calendar year for the hosts due to an illness, meaning that Rizespor's options in the middle of the park are restricted.
Having earned suspension-inducing yellow cards in the defeat to Pendikspor, Martin Minchev and Khusniddin Alikulov are both unavailable to feature on Saturday night.
The same can be said for Kasimpasa centre-back Yasin Ozcan, meaning that Loret Sadiku will require a new partner in the visitors' backline.
There was plenty of hope for Dries Saddiki following his arrival last summer, but a ligament injury ended his 2023-24 campaign in December.
Caykur Rizespor possible starting lineup:
Cetin; Sahin, Yasar, Mocsi, Pehlivan; Shelvey, Olawoyin, David, Sarikaya, Zeqiri; Gaich
Kasimpasa possible starting lineup:
Gianniotis; Ben Quannes, Sadiku, Ciftpinar, Porozo; Gul, Fall, Hajradinovic, Kara, Ngoy; Da Costa
We say: Caykur Rizespor 1-2 Kasimpasa
Possessing the positive momentum and a greater need for victory, Kasimpasa should be on the front foot as they look to get the better of Rizespor on Saturday.
The hosts have been mightily impressive on their own patch this season, but we feel that the Apaches' desperate need of three points will result in an away success.
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Carter White
