Caykur Rizespor and Trabzonspor will do battle at the Caykur Didi Stadyumu on Thursday in a key contest at the top end of the Turkish Super Lig table.

After both falling to defeats last time out, the hosts currently occupy fifth spot while their visitors are five points better off in third place.

Match preview

After only winning promotion back to Turkey's top flight last season, Caykur Rizespor return to action on Thursday with the aim of breaking into the top four, having enjoyed an impressive first half to the campaign.

From their opening 21 matches, the Black Sea Sparrowhawk have managed 32 points, and they put themselves firmly in the top-four fight with a fine run between mid-November and early January, going unbeaten in seven league games and adding 15 points to their tally with four triumphs and three draws.

Their momentum has been halted since, though, with the last three attempts producing just three more points, as Ilhan Palut's side were firstly thrashed 4-0 at home to Besiktas, before bouncing back with a 1-0 victory over Adana Demirspor thanks to Attila Mocsi's goal.

An exit from the Turkish Cup at the hands of Ankaragucu then followed, before Palut's men most recently travelled to take on Alanyaspor and failed to make it back-to-back top-flight wins, instead succumbing to a 2-1 defeat, despite going into injury time level thanks to Dal Varesanovic's equaliser, as Pione Sisto went on to net the decisive goal in the 91st minute to send them home empty-handed.

Still sat fifth after that defeat, with losses elsewhere meaning they remain just three points behind fourth-placed Besiktas and five behind Thursday's visitors, Caykur Rizespor will set out to bounce back on home turf and give their standing in the top-four fight a major boost.

Their visitors, meanwhile, are aiming to bounce back from a defeat of their own and stretch their lead over the chasing pack in the top-four fight, having enjoyed a pleasing first half to the season after a disappointing campaign last time around.

In their defence of the Turkish Super Lig title, Trabzonspor were only able to finish sixth in the top flight last year, and they now occupy third spot after 21 games of the new term with 37 points on the board having managed 11 victories while only suffering six defeats.

Following a disappointing loss to Kayserispor in early December, Abdullah Avci's side bounced back in impressive fashion to move into pole position in the fight for a third-placed finish, with Galatasaray and Fenerbahce having seemingly run away from the chasing pack.

Trabzonspor picked up four victories and a draw from a five-match span stretching up to mid-January, beating Gaziantep, Istanbulspor, Ankaragucu and Samsunspor, but they have since been unable to add another notch to their wins column in two further attempts.

On the back of the latter two triumphs, the Black Sea Storm travelled to Alanyaspor and had to settle for a point from a 1-1 draw, having initially gone ahead through Taxiarchis Fountas.

Then, after progressing through the Turkish Cup fifth round with a 3-1 victory over Manisa BBSK, they most recently hosted second-placed Galatasaray and suffered a 5-1 thrashing with Enis Destan's 79th-minute goal nothing more than a consolation.

Such a result leaves Trabzonspor 14 points outside of the top two after 21 Super Lig outings, and now likely focusing on fighting for third spot, they will be keen to extend a two-point lead over Besiktas and a five-point lead over Caykur Rizespor with a swift return to winning ways on Thursday.

Team News

Caykur Rizespor will remain without Ibrahim Olawoyin, Janne-Pekka Laine and Khusniddin Alikulov due to injuries, and Palut will field a similar starting XI to the one that featured away at Alanyaspor last time out in a 4-2-3-1 shape.

Adolfo Gaich will continue to lead the line, having notched up a team-high tally of nine goals so far this season, while Dal Varesanovic will again operate in the middle of a supporting trio after hitting his eighth of the campaign in the defeat to Alanyaspor.

Behind him, Jonjo Shelvey will play an important role in the engine room, likely alongside Mithat Pala, while Gustavo Sauer will fight to return on the wing after Altin Zeqiri and Benhur Keser were preferred out wide on Saturday.

Aiming to bounce back from Sunday's 5-1 thrashing, Trabzonspor should line up in a similar 4-2-3-1 shape, and they will remain without Trezeguet, Nicolas Pepe and Paul Onuachu, with the trio away on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Stefano Denswil and Mislav Orsic are sidelined by injuries.

In the absence of top scorer Onuachu, Enis Destan will continue to spearhead the attack after netting his sixth goal of the season in the defeat to Galatasaray, while Anastasios Bakasetas will fight to return to the supporting trio from the outset after Edin Visca and Taxiarchis Fountas were preferred either side of Enis Bardhi last time out.

Elsewhere, Batista Mendy is a mainstay in midfield and should again be joined by Berat Ozdemir, while Filip Benkovic and Rayyan Baniya will both hope to keep their places in the middle of the back four.

Caykur Rizespor possible starting lineup:
Akkan; Sahin, Mocsi, Topcu, Nelsen; Shelvey, Pala; Sauer, Varesanovic, Zeqiri; Gaich

Trabzonspor possible starting lineup:
Cakir; Turkmen, Baniya, Benkovic, Elmali; Mendy, Ozdemir; Fountas, Bardhi, Visca; Destan

We say: Caykur Rizespor 1-2 Trabzonspor

Trabzonspor are missing several key places and face a tough test away at fifth-placed Caykur Rizespor on Thursday, but they still have the quality to come out on top against the Black Sea Sparrowhawk and we back them to scrape through and take all three points.


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