Round 8 of the Trendyol Süper Lig brings together two sides level on 10 points after seven games, separated only by goal difference: Çorum sit eighth at +4, Rizespor tenth at -2. It's a mid table collision and the first senior competitive meeting between the clubs, Çorum's promotion through the 2025-26 play offs making it possible for the first time. Çorum are newly promoted and every home win matters for their sense of belonging at this level, whereas Rizespor arrive having conceded three without reply last time out, their second heavy defeat of the campaign.
Çorum arrive in decent shape after a 3-0 win away at Gaziantep FK on 11 October, their last five results reading W-L-W-W-L, bouncing back from a loss to beat Samsunspor 5-1 and Eyüpspor 3-0 in the same stretch. Rizespor's last five is L-D-W-L-W, with a 0-3 home loss to Fenerbahçe the most recent entry. Earlier in that run they drew 2-2 with Göztepe and beat Eyüpspor 2-0 but seven goals in seven league matches is fewer than one goal per game on average and it has cost them points.
Burak Yılmaz took charge of Çorum FK on 25 September 2026, replacing Uğur Uçar and this is his first home game in the role after the win at Gaziantep. Emircan Gürlük and Serdar Saatçı are both doubts with unspecified issues that could affect the midfield or defensive options. Recep Uçar has been at Çaykur Rizespor since 3 December 2025, when he replaced İlhan Palut. The away side are without Khusniddin Alikulov, out long term with a cruciate ligament injury and losing him forces Uçar into an unplanned centre back pairing that hasn't been tested together this season.
Çorum under Yılmaz play a 3-4-3 that pushes the wing backs high and tries to get the front three in behind compact defences quickly. Cengiz Ünder has been involved in a lot of the recent goals by overloading on the right and producing crosses that have led to clear chances in the box. Alexandros Kyziridis makes runs in behind and Çağlar Söyüncü's aerial ability at set pieces gives Çorum a threat from dead balls as well as open play. Rizespor line up in a 4-1-4-1 or 4-2-3-1, with Ali Sowe as the target man up front while Ahmed Kutucu operates just behind him and Qazim Laçi as the main tempo setter in midfield. Without Alikulov, the centre backs will have extra ground to cover against Çorum's wide attackers. Sowe needs to find ways to isolate against a three man defence rather than getting swallowed up by it. Laçi could disrupt Çorum's second phase attacks but seven goals in seven matches already tells its own story about where Rizespor's problems lie.
Söyüncü's aerial presence at dead balls is Rizespor's most obvious vulnerability and Çorum's wide, fast approach regularly produces deliveries into the box to find him. Rizespor's defensive concentration at dead balls needs to be sharper than it was against Fenerbahçe, when lapses from exactly these situations made a bad night considerably worse. For a promoted side still working out their Süper Lig identity, a win here would move Çorum further clear of the sides below and keep pace with the top six.
Çorum FK to win 2-1. Çorum's pace in transition behind Rizespor's high line, combined with Söyüncü's aerial threat at corners, should be enough to breach a back line missing Alikulov. Sowe and Kutucu can exploit Çorum's high wing backs on the counter and if Laçi can slow Çorum's transitions in the opening twenty minutes, Rizespor have shown they can frustrate teams that come at them. Yılmaz's side have scored in every home game since promotion. 2-1 Çorum.
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?.
