Kocaelispor welcome Goztepe SK to Turka Kocaeli Stadium on Sunday afternoon for a Turkish Super Lig encounter between a side looking to maintain their encouraging start to the season and another hoping to build on their first victory of the campaign.

The hosts suffered a narrow defeat to Besiktas last time out, their second loss in three matches, while the visitors arrive in better spirits after securing their first win of the season.

Match preview

Kocaelispor have made a competitive start to the campaign, collecting 12 points from their opening seven league matches to sit sixth in the standings.

However, their recent outings have been less encouraging, with the Gulf losing two of their last three games after winning three and losing once in their opening four matches.

Their latest outing ended in a 2-1 defeat away to Besiktas, with a 2-0 victory over Gaziantep their only positive result between that loss and a 1-0 defeat at Galatasaray.

Selcuk Inan's side can take some encouragement from the fact that both recent defeats came against strong opposition, having previously enjoyed an impressive run that included consecutive victories over Samsunspor, Konyaspor and Amed SK.

Their home form has been particularly impressive, with victories over Gaziantep, Samsunspor and Amed keeping them perfect at Turka Kocaeli Stadium, scoring five goals and conceding none across those three matches.

Kocaelispor will hope that home advantage helps them extend their positive record against Goztepe, having avoided defeat in their last four meetings across the first and second divisions, recording two wins and two draws.

Goztepe, meanwhile, travel to Kocaeli with renewed confidence after producing one of their strongest performances of the season against Eyupspor.

Goz Goz secured their first victory of the campaign with a commanding 4-0 away win, as Juan opened the scoring before Andre Henrique came off the bench to complete a hat-trick, though their task was made easier by playing against 10 men from the 10th minute.

The result provided a welcome boost after a difficult start that had yielded three draws and three defeats from their first six league matches, easing the pressure on Stanimir Stoilov and his players.

That victory also extended Goztepe's unbeaten run to three matches, following draws against Caykur Rizespor and Alanyaspor, and helped them climb out of the relegation zone.

Their challenge now is to carry that momentum into a potentially difficult away fixture. Goztepe have failed to win on their last three visits to Kocaelispor, losing twice and drawing once.

Kocaelispor Turkish Super Lig form:

Goztepe SK Turkish Super Lig form:

Team News

Kocaelispor will be without Tanguy Zoukrou, who remains in rehabilitation, while Massadio Haidara has returned to individual on-pitch training.

Aleksandar Jovanovic and Bruno Petkovic have resumed team training, although their match fitness and availability will need to be assessed before kick-off.

Metehan Altunbas and Dan Agyei started in attack against Besiktas, and Inan could retain the pair for Sunday's encounter, with Berkan Kutlu providing creativity in midfield.

Goztepe also have several injury concerns, with Gokdeniz Bayrakdar, Allan Godoi, Furkan Bayir and Ibrahim Sabra all reportedly unavailable.

Henrique made a decisive impact off the bench against Eyupspor, replacing Janderson in the second half before scoring three times. His performance has strengthened his case for a starting place alongside Juan in attack.

Kocaelispor possible starting lineup:

Oztasdelen; Yildiz, Oztonga, Ortakaya, Bingol; Show, Kutlu, Susoho; Agyei, Altunbas, Sousa

Goztepe SK possible starting lineup:

Ozcimen; Altikardes, Sundberg, Bokele; Kurtulan, Rhaldney, Akonnor; Antunes; Juan, Henrique

We say: Kocaelispor 1-1 Goztepe SK

Kocaelispor's impressive home form and solid defensive record make them difficult to beat on their own ground, but Goztepe have demonstrated that they possess enough attacking quality to trouble the hosts.

The home side have generally kept their matches competitive, while the visitors have shown some defensive vulnerabilities. 

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