Besiktas and Caykur Rizespor begin the 35th round of the Turkish Süper Lig when they face off at the Tupras Stadium on Thursday.
Both teams are currently only two points apart in a heated race for a place in Europe and are aiming for a strong end to the season.
Besiktas were knocked down in their bid to reach the top four when they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Fenerbahce at the Sükrü Saracoglu Stadium.
This followed a 2-0 home win over Ankaragucu on April 19, ending a run of five straight games without a win.
With 51 points from 34 games, Besiktas currently sits fifth in the Super Lig table, one point behind fourth-placed Istanbul Basaksehir in the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying spot.
Meanwhile, Caykur Rizespor had to settle for a 2-2 draw against Ankaragucu in their last game after blowing a two-goal lead in the second half.
Previously, Ilhan Palut’s side were denied a fourth straight win as they suffered a 2-0 defeat against Istanbul Basaksehir on April 21.
Rizespor has collected 49 points in 34 games and is seventh in the table, level on points with sixth-placed Kasimpasa.
Besiktas vs Caykur Rizespor head-to-head and key numbers
- With 24 wins from the last 39 meetings between the teams, Besiktas has a superior record in the history of this encounter.
- Caykur Rizespor has claimed seven victories during this time, while the spoils have been shared eight times.
- Serdar Topraktepe’s men are unbeaten in their last 16 games against Caykur Rizespor, picking up 13 wins and three draws since a 1-0 defeat in December 2014.
- Besiktas have won just one of their last four Süper Lig games since the beginning of March, while there were two defeats and a draw.
- Rizespor have lost seven of their last eight away games in all competitions, with a 4-0 win at Istanbulspor on April 2 being the exception.
Besiktas vs Caykur Rizespor prediction
With only two points between Besiktas and Rizespor, we expect an exciting duel with both teams trying to secure European football.
Topraktepe men enjoyed this game better and we see them taking all three points in front of their home fans.
forecast: Besiktas 3:1 Caykur Rizespor
Besiktas vs Caykur Rizespor betting tips
Tip 1: Result – Besiktas wins
Tip 2: First to score – Besiktas (The hosts have scored first in the last seven games against Rizespor)
Tip 3: More than 2.5 goals – Yes (also at least three goals were scored in six of the last seven duels)
