Kocaelispor vs Beşiktaş – News and Probable Lineups

This Saturday, Kocaelispor will face Besiktas for the second time this month, as they host the in-form Black Eagles at the Yildiz Entegre Kocaeli Stadium, aiming to break a 27-year streak without a Turkish Super Lig victory against this opponent.

The last time the Izmit club secured a league win against Besiktas was in March 1999. Since that match, they have met 11 times in the Super Lig, with Kocaelispor suffering 10 losses and one draw, highlighting the daunting task ahead.

Match overview

Kocaelispor began the year poorly, failing to win any of their first five competitive matches, resulting in two draws and two losses. However, they seemed to have found their form again with consecutive league wins over Kayserispor and Gaziantep.

Those victories restored some faith within the club, but their momentum was halted by a 2-0 defeat to Caykur Rizespor last Friday.

Despite this setback, Selcuk Inan’s team remains in eighth place with 30 points, maintaining a comfortable 10-point gap above the relegation zone in what has been a commendable return to the top tier.

Still, they are determined to avoid back-to-back league losses for the first time since the season’s opening three Super Lig defeats, and history offers little encouragement.

Kocaelispor hasn’t emerged victorious against Besiktas at this ground in a league game since April 1998, recording five losses and one draw in their following six home league encounters.

This match will mark their third meeting of the season, with the home side having lost the earlier league clash 3-1. They came close to a win in a 1-1 draw during the Turkish Cup earlier this month, having taken the lead from the penalty spot before conceding an equalizer in the 88th minute, also from 12 yards.

On the other hand, Besiktas heads into this match eager to maintain their dominance over Kocaelispor and come into the fixture in exceptional form, remaining unbeaten in 16 matches across all competitions with a record of 10 wins and six draws.

The Istanbul club last suffered a league defeat to Fenerbahce in November and is on an unbeaten run of 12 league matches (7W, 5D).

In their latest outing, Besiktas made a strong statement by defeating Goztepe 4-0 at home last Sunday, scoring twice in each half and controlling the match against the division’s top defense.

This impressive victory lifted Besiktas above Goztepe into fourth position, bringing them to 43 points and narrowing the gap to third-placed Trabzonspor at 48 points.

Within the last five Super Lig matches, only Galatasaray has earned more points than Besiktas’ total of 11, while in the previous 10 games, only the league leaders and Istanbul Basaksehir have surpassed their total of 22 points, underscoring their consistency.

Team News

Kocaelispor will be missing four players for this match, including defender Mateusz Wieteska, who is still recovering from a knee injury sustained in August.

Aleksandar Jovanovic and Mahamadou Susoho are also ruled out due to injuries, while experienced defender Massadio Haidara is suspended due to accumulated yellow cards.

Besiktas is also likely to be without forward El Bilal Toure again due to injury; however, recent addition Oh Hyeon-gyu has made a strong impact, scoring three goals in his first three league outings, including a stunning strike against Goztepe that impressed manager Sergen Yalcin.

Captain Orkun Kokcu will be sidelined due to suspension from yellow card accumulations, while Necip Uysal, Taylan Bulut, and Emir Topcu are all dealing with minor injuries and will undergo late fitness tests before kickoff.

Kocaelispor probable starting XI:

Degirmenci; Oguz, Balogh, Smolcic, Dijksteel; Keita, Show, Linetty; Keles, Petkovic, Rivas

Besiktas probable starting XI:

Destanolglu; Murillo, Djalo, Agbadou, Yimlaz; Earth; Cerny, Asllani, Olaitan, Under; Oh

Besiktas arrives in Izmit with positive momentum, confidence, and a strong historical advantage in this matchup, making it challenging to see past the visitors.

Kocaelispor has been competitive at home this season, but their long-standing difficulties against the Black Eagles over the past two decades cannot be ignored, and with the Black Eagles scoring freely, they should possess sufficient quality to dominate the match and secure another crucial three points in their pursuit of European competition.