Alanyaspor host Kocaelispor at the Kırbıyık Holding Stadyumu on 23 October 2026, Süper Lig Matchday 9. Both clubs sit on 12 points after eight games, separated by a single table position with Alanyaspor ninth and Kocaelispor eighth. The home side enter with a win probability around 47 to 49%, backed by a strong home record against this opponent and the absence of three established Kocaelispor starters. Alanyaspor need a response after the 0-3 hammering at Fenerbahçe last week, while Kocaelispor are trying to stop a two game losing run of their own.
There is not much to go on in terms of managerial head to head, since the two coaches haven't built up a meaningful record and İnan's previous clubs don't offer a clean pattern for this kind of fixture. João Pereira has been in charge since March 2025, when he replaced Sami Uğurlu, while Selçuk İnan took over Kocaelispor in July 2025 after İsmet Taşdemir departed.
Alanyaspor's last five reads L-D-W-D-W: a 0-3 loss at Fenerbahçe on 17 October, a 0-0 draw with Erzurumspor FK, a 2-1 win over Çorum FK, a 2-2 draw against Göztepe and a 1-0 win at Rizespor. Kocaelispor's last five reads W-L-W-L-L: a 1-2 defeat at Göztepe on 18 October, a 1-2 loss at Beşiktaş before that, a 2-0 win over Gaziantep FK, a 0-1 defeat at Galatasaray and a 1-0 victory against Samsunspor. Both recent losses came away from home, both by a single goal, which at least tells you their defensive shape holds up better on their own patch.
Alanyaspor have Paulo Victor/Fernandes listed as a doubt, which could disrupt distribution from the back and force the other defenders to carry more of the ball. Kocaelispor are in worse shape: Massadio Haidara and Tanguy Zoukrou are both out with muscle injuries, Bruno Petković misses with a hamstring problem and A. Jovanovic has been left out by İnan's decision. That removes three experienced players from a squad already thin enough in defence to feel those absences at set pieces and on the break.
Alanyaspor generally line up in a 3-4-3 or a variant of it, with Florent Hadergjonaj cutting inside from the right half space and delivering into the box, Gaius Makouta chipping in with goals from midfield, while Nuno Lima and Fidan Aliti anchor the back three. Without Petković leading Kocaelispor's front line, that defensive pair should find their lives a bit easier, though Dan Agyei's pace on the break will ask questions of both of them if Alanyaspor are caught overcommitting. For Kocaelispor, losing Haidara and Zoukrou strips out aerial presence and recovery pace across the defensive line, a serious problem when Hadergjonaj is operating behind their left side. Petković's absence removes the main target up front, leaving Gonçalo Sousa, Agyei and Metehan Altunbaş with no clear striker to build around and the visitors have also shown a tendency to concede from set pieces, something that will be on İnan's mind when he sets his defensive shape. The individual battles worth watching are Hadergjonaj against Kocaelispor's left sided defender, Makouta's runs into the channel against Emir Ortakaya's positioning and how well Lima and Aliti contain Agyei on the break.
Recent meetings at the Kırbıyık Holding Stadyumu have gone heavily in Alanyaspor's favour: a 5-0 win here in March 2026, a 1-0 Turkish Cup win in 2023, with Kocaelispor's only recent success being a 2-0 win at their own ground in October 2025.
Alanyaspor have Lima and Aliti as aerial targets and Hadergjonaj to supply them and set piece delivery looks likely to be the mechanism that decides this, given Kocaelispor's noted weakness from dead ball situations and the defensive bodies they are now missing to cover it.
2-1 to Alanyaspor. Kocaelispor's absences leave them exposed to exactly the kind of delivery Hadergjonaj provides and that, combined with a home record that includes a 5-0 and a 1-0 at this ground in recent meetings, should be enough to settle this. Agyei's pace on the break will ask questions of Lima and Aliti, especially if Alanyaspor chase a second goal but without Haidara, Zoukrou and Petković, Kocaelispor will struggle to sustain pressure or hold set pieces at bay for a full 90 minutes.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
