Kocaelispor v Trabzonspor: top-three push meets mid-table climb | OneFootball

Kocaelispor host Trabzonspor in the Süper Lig on 18 January in Kocaeli, with the home side targeting a rise from mid-table and the visitors looking to reinforce their top-three position.

Trabzonspor won the reverse fixture 1-0 on matchday 1. The visitors arrive third on 35 points, while Kocaelispor are eighth with 23 points after 17 games.

Selçuk İnan's side lost at Gaziantep last time out in the league after a steady December that included a win over Antalyaspor and draws with Kasımpaşa and Fatih Karagümrük. Fatih Tekke's team have mixed recent league results, beating Göztepe away before drawing with Beşiktaş and losing 4-3 at Gençlerbirliği. They also hit six in the cup at İstanbulspor.

Availability could shape selection. Kocaelispor are without Mateusz Wieteska (injured) and Habib Keita (suspended). Trabzonspor list Edin Visca, Stefan Savic, Okay Yokuşlu, Mustafa Eskihellac and Rayyan Baniya as injured, with Boran Başkan suspended. Up front, Paul Onuachu has 11 league goals, second in the scoring chart, while Bruno Petković and Tayfur Bingöl have five each for the hosts.

The match-up pits Kocaelispor's strong home defence against one of the division's most potent attacks. In the league, the hosts have conceded only four goals at home and kept six clean sheets, but they average just 0.9 goals per game. Trabzonspor score 1.9 per game, complete 85.11% of passes and have nine headed goals, so crosses and aerial deliveries could be a key route.

A win would take Trabzonspor to 38 points and consolidate their hold on third and European qualification. Victory for Kocaelispor would move them to 26 points and could lift them closer to the top six.