Caykur Rizespor v Kocaelispor: top-half push meets lower-half rebuild | OneFootball

Caykur Rizespor host Kocaelispor in the Süper Lig on Friday, 20 February 2026 in Rize, with the visitors chasing the top half and the hosts looking to put daylight between themselves and the relegation places.

The reverse fixture in September finished 1-1. Kocaelispor sit seventh on 30 points, while Caykur Rizespor are 13th with 21.

Caykur Rizespor have drawn four of their past five in all competitions, including a 2-2 at Gençlerbirliği, after a 3-0 home loss to Galatasaray. Kocaelispor have won their last two league games and their away form has been lighter, with nine points on the road.

Giannis Papanikolaou is suspended for the hosts, with Husniddin Aliqulov and Loide Augusto injured. Mateusz Wieteska and goalkeeper Aleksandar Jovanovic are sidelined for Kocaelispor.

Selçuk Inan's side have been hard to break down, with eight clean sheets and one goal conceded per game. Caykur Rizespor have allowed 35, though they carry threat in open play and have scored only one set piece goal and two headers. Bruno Petković and Tayfur Bingol provide Kocaelispor's cutting edge, while Qazim Laci leads the hosts' creativity with four assists.

A win would take Kocaelispor to 33 points and could nudge them higher in the top half. Three points for Caykur Rizespor would move them to 24 and may create some daylight above the relegation places.