Galatasaray — Rizespor : Match Preview and Prediction for August 30,2025

Galatasaray’s Dominant Start

While Galatasaray’s long-standing rival, Fenerbahçe, grapples with a managerial change and a failure to qualify for the Champions League, Okan Buruk’s maroon-and-orange squad is confidently sweeping aside all opposition in the Super Lig’s opening fixtures. They appear to be strong contenders to reclaim the Turkish league title this season.

Squad Enhancements and Recent Form

Key offseason acquisitions include Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, secured from Napoli for a hefty 75 million euros, and the experienced Leroy Sané, joining from Bayern Munich. Player departures have been minimal and largely inconsequential; the sale of Köhn and the exit of Morata, who struggled to settle in Istanbul, are not significant setbacks. The team is well-coordinated, and their somewhat audacious attacking style promises an exciting European campaign. Domestically, their formidable form continues, with a 3-0 away win against Gaziantep and a home victory over Karagümrük followed by a resounding 4-0 away triumph against Kayserispor. In that match, both new signings Leroy Sané and Victor Osimhen found the net, but defender Elmali’s surprising brace effectively sealed the win. For the upcoming fixture, Barış Yılmaz (reportedly set to move to Saudi Arabian club Neom, having not trained for a week due to conflict with management despite scoring 3 goals early in the season) and Mario Lemina will be unavailable for the hosts.

Rizespor’s Challenging Start

Rizespor faces the formidable challenge of Galatasaray just before the international break. So far this season, İlhan Palut’s side has yet to secure a victory or even find the back of the net in their two league matches. They commenced their campaign with a heavy 0-3 home defeat to Göztepe, followed by a resilient 0-0 draw away at Alanyaspor. However, their next opponent is Galatasaray, a team vastly superior in quality across all aspects, placing Rizespor in a highly unfavorable position compared to the Istanbul giants. While Rizespor has a full squad available for this encounter against the reigning Turkish champions, it is highly improbable that this will prevent another, very likely significant, defeat.