Eyüpspor vs Rizespor

Eyüpspor welcome Rizespor in round five of the Turkish Süper Lig on September 12, 2026. The home side are searching for consistency following a turbulent opening month, while the visitors arrive aiming to cement their strong early positioning in the upper half of the table.

Eyüpspor Searching for Consistency

It has been a fluctuating start to the new campaign for Eyüpspor. They tasted bitter disappointment on matchday two when a red card reduced them to ten men, ultimately resulting in a 1-0 defeat to Gaziantep following a second-half strike from Deian Sorescu. However, they demonstrated tremendous resilience against Alanyaspor in matchday three. After falling behind to an early first-minute goal from Arda Usluoglu, Ahmed Abdullahi restored parity before the interval. Just as the match looked destined to end in a draw, Zak Jules struck deep into stoppage time to secure a dramatic 2-1 victory. Replicating that late fighting spirit will be critical if they are to climb away from the wrong end of the table.

Rizespor's Attacking Rhythm

Conversely, Rizespor have enjoyed a highly productive start to the season, already securing crucial victories. Their attacking unit has looked particularly cohesive, highlighted by a recent 2-1 triumph over Goztepe. Emrecan Bulut and Ali Sowe both found the net on either side of half-time in that encounter. Head coach Ucar appears to have found a potent attacking formula, with Sowe spearheading the line, ably supported by an energetic creative trio of Ibrahim Olawoyin, Ahmed Kutucu, and Bulut. Maintaining this offensive output will be their primary focus on their travels this weekend.

Team News and Injury Latest

The visitors travel with a significant absentee in defence. Key centre-back Khusniddin Alikulov remains sidelined while recovering from a serious cruciate ligament injury, with the club's medical staff not expecting his return until early October. Rizespor will also need to assess the fitness of Moussa Diakite and Valentin Mihaila, who have both been listed as recent injury doubts in the build-up to this month's fixtures. Meanwhile, Eyüpspor will have to factor in disciplinary rotation following their early-season red card against Gaziantep, though the return of any suspended personnel could provide a timely boost to their matchday squad.

As the Süper Lig campaign begins to take shape, these 90 minutes hold significant importance for both sides' early trajectories. A positive result for Rizespor would solidify their status as early-season overachievers, while Eyüpspor will view this home fixture as a necessary stepping stone to establish mid-table security before the autumn schedule intensifies.