Matchday 4 of the Süper Lig brings Çaykur Rizespor and Alanyaspor together at Çaykur Didi Stadyumu on 7 September 2026, with Rizespor sitting seventh on six points and Alanyaspor twelfth on four. The two point gap between them reflects a wider philosophical difference: Uçar's side defend deep and hit on the counter while Pereira's prefer to keep the ball and work through structured build up.
Recep Uçar and João Pereira have no meaningful managerial history with each other, which makes this more about systems than personal match ups. Uçar took charge of Rizespor on 3 December 2025, replacing İlhan Palut and has built a recognisably compact, counter oriented side in a short time. Pereira has been at Alanyaspor since 22 March 2025, inheriting from Sami Uğurlu and the possession based system he runs now reflects several months of deliberate construction.
Rizespor head into this on the back of two wins from three: a 1-0 home victory over Konyaspor and a 2-1 win against Gaziantep FK, sandwiched around a 0-2 defeat at Samsunspor on 22 August, their only away game so far. Alanyaspor's three game run is harder to read: they drew 1-1 with Gaziantep FK, won 1-0 at Beşiktaş on 23 August, then lost 1-2 to Eyüpspor at home on 30 August.
Rizespor are missing Khusniddin Alikulov after a cruciate ligament tear, with October the earliest he is likely to return. Alanyaspor are without Maestro, the Brazilian midfielder recovering from a muscle injury and not expected back until mid September, which limits Pereira's rotation options in midfield. Sowe leads the line for Rizespor and Olawoyin runs forward from midfield, while Højer's set piece delivery is the detail that shapes the game at dead balls and Mihăilă drives at defenders in open play. Alanyaspor's attack runs through Ianis Hagi and Steve Mounié, with Gaius Makouta tasked with holding the midfield together in Maestro's absence.
Rizespor sit in their mid to low block and wait, when they win the ball, Sowe takes it to feet and holds it long enough for runners to arrive. Højer's delivery from set pieces, corners and wide free kicks, creates consistent problems for defences and Sowe's presence in the box amplifies that. Alikulov's absence means the backline has less cover for individual errors, though two clean sheets in three games is a reasonable base to build from.
Overlapping full backs and inverted midfielders create the width for Hagi to find Mounié's movement and the 1-2 loss to Eyüpspor suggests Alanyaspor can be disrupted when opponents press them high. Without Maestro, Makouta is the only dedicated midfield anchor, if Olawoyin wins second balls ahead of him, Rizespor's transitions will run directly at the backline. Alanyaspor's possession will count for nothing if it ends in Rizespor's half, so they have to create chances inside the box against a side that has conceded once in two home games. The midfield contest decides the tempo: if Rizespor win those second balls, they transition quickly and find space behind Alanyaspor's high full backs, whereas if Makouta and Hagi take control, Alanyaspor have the quality to create inside the box.
Alanyaspor lead the historical series with five wins to Rizespor's four across 16 meetings, with seven draws between them. Recent encounters have been tight: a 1-1 draw in January 2026, a 0-0 in August 2025, Rizespor winning 3-1 in March 2025 and Alanyaspor edging 1-0 in September 2024. Rizespor have won three of their last five home meetings in this fixture.
Højer's delivery combined with Sowe's aerial ability makes corners and free kicks a real problem for opponents, particularly for an Alanyaspor defence that has already conceded three goals in three matches. Rizespor have won both home games this season and Alanyaspor cannot let the gap to the top half grow any wider at this early stage.
Rizespor 2-1 Alanyaspor. Rizespor's block, Højer's delivery and Maestro's absence combine to make this a difficult night for Alanyaspor. If Olawoyin wins the midfield battle and Sowe holds the ball under pressure, Rizespor create the space to score and if they go ahead first, this becomes very difficult for Alanyaspor to unravel against a side that has defended a lead in both home wins this season. A late equaliser is possible but a narrow home win is the likeliest outcome, Rizespor's defensive record and Alanyaspor's midfield absence tip the balance.
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?.
