Caykur Rizespor vs Trabzonspor – News and Probable Lineups

Caykur Rizespor will host Trabzonspor at Caykur Didi Stadium on Monday for a Black Sea derby offering differing challenges for the two teams in the Turkish Super Lig.

Recep Ucar’s side aims to bounce back from two consecutive league losses, whereas the visitors come into this game on a four-match winning streak in all competitions.

Match overview

Rizespor enters the ninth round after squandering a promising start against Corum, where Qazim Laci gave them an early advantage in the 33rd minute, only for Cengiz Under to equalize and Youssoufa Moukoko to secure the victory with a goal in the 81st minute, resulting in a 2-1 defeat for Rize.

This loss came after a 3-0 home defeat to Fenerbahce and a 2-2 draw against Goztepe, leaving the Black Sea Sparrowhawk without a win in three outings, with the defeat to Corum marking their first loss away from home this season.

Earlier, Rizespor had recorded three wins in their first five matches, sustaining two losses, but their current winless streak has left them with 10 points after eight games, placing them 12th in the league table.

Their home performance is particularly worrying as they have failed to earn any points at Caykur Didi Stadium in three attempts, making them the sole team in the league without a point at home, while they have also not scored in front of their fans and conceded six goals.

Additionally, their recent history against Trabzonspor is not promising, having suffered defeats in their last four encounters across all competitions, including three in the Super Lig.

Trabzonspor arrives in much better shape and will seek to extend their winning momentum while climbing higher in the standings to narrow the three-point deficit to league leaders Galatasaray.

Their current streak started with a 3-0 victory against Samsunspor, followed by a 4-1 win in the Conference League over KuPS, a 2-0 home success against Besiktas, and another 2-0 triumph over Hearts in the Conference League this past Thursday.

Despite this impressive run, Thomas Reis will be mindful of a demanding schedule and may contemplate making some rotations in his squad, although this might be complicated by Trabzonspor’s uneven performance on the road in the league.

The Black Sea Storm has garnered only four points from four away matches in the Super Lig, earning a draw with Kasimpasa before succumbing to Amed SK and Konyaspor, although they secured an away victory against Samsunspor.

Caykur Didi Stadium has posed challenges for Trabzonspor in recent seasons, with the visitors having lost three of their last four visits and celebrated just one win, albeit in their most recent appearance there.

Team News

Khusniddin Alikulov is likely to miss out for Rizespor as he continues his recovery from a significant knee injury, with indications that he aims for a return in early November.

Ahmed Kutucu is also ruled out, and Can Bozdogan along with Attila Mocsi are reported injured, the latter reportedly dealing with a hamstring issue.

Trabzonspor faces several fitness issues of their own, with Paul Onuachu a doubt due to a hamstring injury sustained against KuPS, and Reis has mentioned that a late fitness test will determine the striker’s availability.

Arseniy Batagov is receiving treatment for a thigh injury, Ruslan Malinoxyi has undergone knee surgery, and Okay Yokuslu has been sidelined with a cartilage problem, while Mustafa Eskihellac is also confirmed as unavailable.

Mohamed Salah leads the league in scoring with eight goals, while Aral Simsir has created more significant chances than any player with seven, and both will aim to have a decisive impact once more.

Caykur Rizespor probable starting XI:

Fly; Shovel, Baywood, Cork, Ariss; I didn’t eat; Mebude, Olawoyin, Laci, Michaela; Sowe

Trabzonspor probable starting XI:

Onana; Pina, Nwaiwu, Savic, Cabral; Jabol-Folcarelli, Mendy; Salah, Muci, Simsir; Dju

While Rizespor possesses sufficient quality to cause problems, their sluggish home form is a major concern against a Trabzonspor side that appears increasingly confident, and the attacking vigor of the visitors should provide them with the advantage in what may be a hard-fought Black Sea derby.