Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Turkish Super Lig clash between Alanyaspor and Caykur Rizespor, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Alanyaspor will be looking to build on their first win of the season when they take on Caykur Rizespor at Kichijoin Park Stadium on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the visitors are heading into this match with the sole aim of ending a four-match losing streak in the Turkish Super Lig.
Match preview
© Imago
Alanyaspor finally registered a win in the 2024-25 Super Lig season with a 2-0 victory away at Adana Demirspor, their first in this fixture since 2022 when they also picked up a win at the 5 Ocak Fatih Terim Stadyumu.
Hwang Ui-jo was the hero of the day, scoring a brace within the first 17 minutes of the game, which was enough to seal all three points for the Antalya-based team.
Fatih Tekke‘s side have lost two and drawn three of their first six league games, which left them in the relegation zone, but the win over Adana saw the hosts rise to 12th place in the table.
Alanyaspor will hope they can finally break their pattern of not getting the same result in consecutive matches this season when they take on Rizespor on Saturday, a side they have not lost to in their last four meetings across all competitions.
In addition, the hosts have not lost in their last six home matches, recording five draws and a win, but the win came in April when they won 6-0 against Istanbulspor.
Rizespor looked set to have a positive season after their opening two matches, drawing with Istanbul Basaksehir before picking up a win over Adana Demirspor.
However, they have since lost four successive games without scoring while conceding 12 times, leaving Ilhan Palut‘s side down in 16th with just four points.
Their most recent match was at home against Samsunspor, a game that the Black Sea Sparrowhawk lost 1-0, as they conceded in the 46th minute and could not find a way back into the game.
Though Rizespor have historically struggled in this fixture, especially on their visits to Alanyaspor where they have lost six times and won just one in seven encounters, they can take confidence in the fact that their only win this season came on the road.
Alanyaspor Turkish Super Lig form:
Caykur Rizespor Turkish Super Lig form:
Team News
© Imago
Alanyaspor will have no absentees for this match, giving the manager a wealth of options to choose from as they seek a second consecutive win.
Sergio Cordova and Ui-jo have each scored two of the home side’s six goals so far, and they will be the players to watch on Saturday.
Rizespor are also entering this fixture with an almost complete squad, with Benhur Keser being the only doubt as he recovers from an ankle injury.
Husniddin Aliqulov, who scored in the visitors’ opening two matches, will be hoping to return to the team after being an unused substitute last time out.
Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:
Taskiran; Balkovec, Aliti, Lima, Hadergjonaj; Makouta, Richard; Cordova, Janvier, Augusto; Hwang
Caykur Rizespor possible starting lineup:
Grbic; Sahin, Mocsi, Yasar, Hojer; Akintola, Papanikolaou, Hadziahmetovic, Olawoyin, Zeqiri; Sowe
We say: Alanyaspor 1-0 Caykur Rizespor
Alanyaspor’s win in their last match would serve as a confidence-booster heading into this clash against a Rizespor side that they have historically dominated, especially on home soil.
We think that the hosts will come out victorious here, as the visitors are short of confidence and are struggling to find the net.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.