Konyaspor vs Trabzonspor: Onuachu goal record at risk – Preview, team news, h2h

Trabzonspor travel to a Konyaspor side rooted at the bottom of the Turkish Super Lig table without a single point from four games, and Paul Onuachu arrives carrying a record against this exact opponent that borders on the remarkable, Afrik-Foot reports.

Konyaspor have lost all four of their league matches so far this season. Zero points and a goal difference of minus five have left the Anatolian Eagles bottom of the 18-team Super Lig table heading into the fifth round of fixtures.

Trabzonspor, by contrast, sit fourth with seven points from four games and travel to Konya full of confidence after putting five goals past Genclerbirligi last time out. The Black Sea outfit also arrive under a different coach to the one who started the campaign, with Huseyin Cimsir taking interim charge of the first team following Fatih Tekke’s exit earlier this month.

Super Eagles forward Onuachu has scored six goals in just four previous meetings with Konyaspor, and he will fancy adding to that tally on Saturday, September 12. Fellow Nigeria international Chibuike Nwaiwu has been a mainstay in Trabzonspor’s defence since he joined the club in the winter and he should keep his spot despite being one yellow card away from a suspension.

Konyaspor vs Trabzonspor: Form guide and season context

Konyaspor’s start to the season has gone from bad to worse. Four matches, four defeats, and not a single point on the board leaves them alone at the foot of the standings. Their goal difference of minus five is also the worst mark in the division, evidence of a side that has struggled at both ends of the pitch.

Ilhan Palut, back for a second spell in charge, has no fresh injury or suspension problems to contend with, which frames this squarely as a confidence and form issue rather than a squad crisis. That will offer Konyaspor fans some hope, since nearly the same group of players delivered the club’s best-ever Super Lig finish under Palut only a few seasons ago.

Trabzonspor’s own build-up has been anything but smooth, even with seven points from four games. Tekke left the club by mutual agreement on September 1 after a 2-1 defeat at Amedspor, having already tried to walk away once before following a 4-0 UEFA Europa League play-off round defeat to Ferencvaros.

Cimsir, a former Trabzonspor captain, stepped in on an interim basis and made an immediate statement with a 5-0 demolition of Genclerbirligi.

Onuachu scored twice in that game, Mohamed Salah added a penalty, Ernest Muci got on the scoresheet, and new arrival Franculino marked his debut with a goal off the bench. Trabzonspor’s hierarchy is still searching for a permanent head coach, but results like that make a strong case for handing Cimsir more time.

For Konyaspor, the aim this weekend is simply to get off the mark before a difficult start turns into a genuine relegation fight.

Trabzonspor, who won the Ziraat Turkiye Kupasi last season and competed in continental football over the summer, will want to use this fixture to keep pace with the pack chasing Galatasaray at the top.

Konyaspor vs Trabzonspor head-to-head record

The most recent Super Lig meeting between the sides came on April 27, when Konyaspor won 2-1 in Konya.

Across their last five league meetings at this venue, Konyaspor have won three, Trabzonspor have won one, and one finished level. Those five games have produced eight goals for Konyaspor and seven for Trabzonspor, a record that on paper favours the hosts.

The two clubs also met away from the league last season, in the Ziraat Turkiye Kupasi final in Antalya, where Trabzonspor won 2-1 to lift the trophy..Onuachu scored both goals in that final, continuing a pattern that has defined his career against this opponent.

In four official meetings with Konyaspor in total, the Nigerian has scored six times, including a spectacular backheeled finish in November 2023 that was shortlisted for the FIFA Puskas Award.

Team news: Paul Onuachu and predicted lineups for Konyaspor vs Trabzonspor

Konyaspor have a clean bill of health, with no injuries or suspensions reported inside the squad ahead of this trip. That means Palut has his full squad available and no real excuse for a fifth straight defeat.

Trabzonspor are missing two central defensive options through injury. Arseniy Batagov and Tim Jabol-Folcarelli are both out with knee problems and are unlikely to be involved for several weeks yet.

Onuachu ended a nine-match Super Lig goal drought with his brace against Genclerbirligi, and he looks the man most likely to trouble Konyaspor again. Franculino, signed late in the transfer window, gave Cimsir a selection headache by scoring on his first appearance, and he could push for a starting recall.

Predicted XI

Star player watch: Onuachu vs Bardhi

Nigerian eyes on this fixture will be firmly fixed on Onuachu, but Konyaspor need a big performance from their own senior playmaker if they are to end their winless start.

The managers: Ilhan Palut and Huseyin Cimsir

Palut returned to Konyaspor in February on his second spell in charge of the club. His first stint, between 2021 and 2023, remains the most successful in the club’s recent history. He guided Konyaspor to a third-place finish in the 2021-22 season, the club’s best league placing in years, and left with the highest points-per-game average of any coach in Konyaspor’s history.

After that spell ended, Palut took charge of Caykur Rizespor, leading them to back-to-back ninth-place finishes before resigning in November 2025.

Cimsir is a Trabzonspor man through and through. Born in the Araklı district of Trabzon, he came through the club’s academy, played for the first team and captained the side before winning the Super Lig as a player with Bursaspor in the 2009-10 season.

He had a first taste of management at Trabzonspor in the second half of the 2019-20 season, and he now returns for a second spell in the dugout on an interim basis while the club searches for a long-term appointment.

His first game back in caretaker charge could hardly have gone better, and a positive result in Konya would strengthen his case to keep the job beyond the international break.

Tactical preview: How Konyaspor vs Trabzonspor could play out

Palut’s Konyaspor prefer a 4-2-3-1 built on compactness and control, but that identity has been undone by a leaky defence through four rounds. Expect the hosts to sit a little deeper than usual and look to frustrate a Trabzonspor side low on confidence at the back of their own minds after conceding regularly themselves in recent weeks.

Cimsir set his side up in a mirrored 4-2-3-1 against Genclerbirligi, with Fabinho and Tufan screening the back four and Muci given license to drift off Onuachu. Salah and Simsir stretched the pitch from wide areas and combined well in behind a high defensive line, a pattern that punished Genclerbirligi repeatedly.

If Konyaspor retreat into a low block, Trabzonspor’s full-backs pushing on and their front four rotating positions could open gaps in the half-spaces. Konyaspor’s route back into the game is likely to come on the counter through Colley or Goncalves, with Bardhi looking to pick a pass between the lines rather than force things through the middle.

Konyaspor vs Trabzonspor prediction and betting tips

Every angle here points toward a comfortable night for the visitors.

Konyaspor have not found a way to win, or even draw, in four attempts this season, and they now face a Trabzonspor forward line reminded of exactly how effective it can be after the Genclerbirligi rout.

The double chance covering a Trabzonspor win or a draw is the safest way into this match, given the gulf in form and confidence between the two sides right now.

Both teams to score landing on no makes sense given Konyaspor have managed only a handful of goals across four defeats, while Trabzonspor’s defence has generally looked settled under Cimsir.

A 2-0 away win is priced up nicely as a longshot correct score, rewarding backers who fancy Trabzonspor to win comfortably without needing a repeat of the Genclerbirligi scoreline.

Trabzonspor to open the scoring rounds out the card, reflecting how often Onuachu and his teammates have struck first against sides in poor form this season.

Final score prediction

Konyaspor’s search for a first point of the season looks likely to run into a sixth round, with Onuachu adding to his extraordinary record against them and Trabzonspor moving to within touching distance of the Super Lig’s top three.