Beşiktaş will face Rizespor on Friday, hoping to secure a win that would elevate them to fourth place in the Süper Lig standings.
Rizespor, in turn, can close the gap to sixth-placed Beşiktaş to just three points with a victory at Rize City Stadium.
Beşiktaş, under interim head coach Serdar Topraktepe, are navigating a period of uncertainty as they fight to stay in the top-three race.
With only four points separating them from third-placed Samsunspor, their chances have been hindered by just one win in the last eight league matches.
Following their shock 1-0 victory over Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş suffered a 2-1 loss to bottom-dwelling Adana Demirspor and were held to a 1-1 draw by Alanyaspor, despite Rafa Silva’s equalizer for his fourth goal of the season.
With just 25 goals in 16 matches, their offensive struggles continue, compounded by only two wins from eight away fixtures this season – an area in need of improvement to meet their season objectives.
On the other hand, Rizespor’s recent form has seen them slip out of the top half of the table, failing to win in their last three matches.
Defeats to Gaziantep FK and Göztepe, alongside a 1-1 draw against Konyaspor, have put them five points clear of the relegation zone.
However, under previous coach Ilhan Palut, they enjoyed a strong run of five wins from six matches.
At home, they are unbeaten in their last four games, including a standout 3-1 win over Trabzonspor.
Rizespor will make several changes to their lineup following their 3-0 loss to Beşiktaş in the last match.
Dal Varesanovic is set to return in midfield, while Benhur Keser could make his first league start of the season.
Goalkeeper Ivo Grbic, who suffered a head injury, will be replaced by Tarik Çetin.
As for Beşiktaş, Cher Ndour is vying for a spot in midfield after a solid cameo against Alanyaspor.
Arthur Masuaku might return at left-back, though Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is expected to remain on the bench.
