Two mid-table sides for Turkish Super Lig go lock horns for Caykur Didi Stadyumu on Friday, as Caykur Rizespor dey host Konyaspor for round 32 opening fixture.
Di hosts don mathematically safe from relegation, dey sit 12 points clear of drop zone with three matches remaining, while di visitors dey three points behind dem.
However, di Black Sea side superior goal difference over di teams below mean say dem also dey relatively comfortable heading into di final stretch.
Recep Ucar, wey replace Ilhan Palut for Rizespor for early December after di latter resignation, go dey keen to get one over im immediate predecessor when both sides meet on Friday.
Ucar inherit a side sitting 11th for di standings and since don guide dem up to ninth, securing a fourth consecutive top-flight campaign for di Black Sea Sparrowhawks.
Under im leadership, Rizespor don record six wins and six defeats for 17 league matches, with losses to bottom-placed Fatih Karagumruk and, most recently, second-bottom Kayserispor (2-0) dey highlight some inconsistency for dia results.
Within dat run, dem don suffer consecutive league defeats twice, but a key positive don be dia strong home form, with just one of dose losses dey come for Caykur Didi Stadyumu—and dat one na against league leaders Galatasaray.
Since dat defeat, Ucar side don win four consecutive home matches, dia longest such streak dis season, wey don be central to dia survival push.
Dem go now aim to make am five for a row at home, though dem dey face a Konyaspor side wey dem don fail to beat for dia last four competitive meetings, drawing three and losing one, including a 1-1 stalemate earlier dis season.
Palut, meanwhile, don guide Konyaspor up to eighth for di standings, ensuring dem remain for di top flight for a 14th consecutive season, and im go also dey eager to claim victory against im former club.
Taking over for early February with di team sitting 14th, Palut don oversee 11 league matches, losing just twice while recording six wins for dat period.
Even more impressive na dia current nine-match unbeaten run across all competitions, wey include a 1-0 extra-time victory over Fenerbahce for di Turkish Cup quarter-final, setting up a semi-final clash with Besiktas.
For di league, di Anatolian Eagles dey unbeaten for dia last seven matches (5W, 2D), and dem follow dat cup success with a 2-1 Super Lig win over high-flying Trabzonspor, maintaining dia strong momentum.
With di added motivation of facing im former side, Palut go hope im team fit extend dia impressive run and avoid defeat for Caykur Didi Stadyumu for a third consecutive season, having draw dia last two visits.
Rizespor go remain without Altin Zeqiri, wey don miss di last four matches due to injury, while Husniddin Alikulov dey close in on a return after a knee injury sustained for January, although dis game fit come too soon for am.
Di hosts go also be without Romanian forward Valentin Mihaila, wey dey suspended after accumulating too many yellow cards.
Konyaspor, meanwhile, dey deal with several absentees, including Josip Calusic, Guilherme Sitya and Alassane Ndao, wey all dey suspended for non-footballing reasons.
For di injury front, Ufuk Akyol remain a long-term absentee with a serious knee issue, Blaz Kramer don suffer a similar setback, and Tunahan Tasci don miss di last three matches.
Berkan Kutlu go also miss dis clash due to suspension after accumulating yellow cards, despite scoring a brace for di win over Trabzonspor last time out.
While Rizespor don suffer disappointing losses for recent weeks, dia impressive home form no fit be ignored for dis clash against an in-form Konyaspor, which be why we believe say dis fixture go produce a third consecutive stalemate for Caykur Didi Stadyumu.
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