Trabzonspor vs Gaziantep: Preview, team news, lineups, & tips as Onuachu eyes return

Super Eagles striker Paul Onuachu could return to Trabzonspor’s matchday squad for the first time in three matches when Gaziantep FK visit Papara Park on Sunday, November 1, 2026, with the Nigerian forward back in individual training after a thigh and groin problem.

Trabzonspor, third in the Süper Lig table on 19 points from nine matches, host a Gaziantep FK side fifteenth on eight points and winless in their last four league games, in a fixture Gaziantep FK have never won in sixteen meetings between the two clubs.

Under German head coach Thomas Reis, appointed in September 2026, Trabzonspor have won four of their last five league matches, while Gaziantep FK head coach Orhan Ak, in the role since September 4, is yet to find an answer to a four-game losing run that has left his side only three points above the relegation places.

Trabzonspor In Red-Hot Form As Gaziantep FK’s Losing Run Continues

Trabzonspor have won four of their last five Süper Lig matches, beating Beşiktaş 2-0 at home on October 19, thrashing league leaders Galatasaray 4-0 on September 19, and winning a thriller 4-3 away at Çaykur Rizespor on October 26, with their only defeat in that run a 1-0 loss at Konyaspor on September 12.

Gaziantep FK, by contrast, have lost four matches in a row, going down 1-3 at home to Erzurumspor FK on October 24, 1-2 away at İstanbul Başakşehir on October 18, 0-3 at home to Çorum FK on October 11, and 0-2 away at Kocaelispor on September 19, with their last point a goalless draw at home to Fenerbahçe on September 14.

The Black Sea Storm sit third with a goal difference of +14, while Gaziantep FK are 15th with a goal difference of -6, only three points above the relegation zone, and referee Abdullah Taşkınsoy will have little trouble working out which side carries the momentum into Trabzon.

Trabzonspor vs Gaziantep: Head-to-Head

Gaziantep FK have never beaten Trabzonspor in sixteen meetings across all competitions, with the Black Sea club winning ten and drawing six, for an aggregate score of 32 goals to 14.

Aynı renge bakıp aynı duyguyu hissedenlerin, asla vazgeçmeyenlerin hikayesi bu. #𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐋𝐄𝐍 https://t.co/1W6qFn7R76

— Trabzonspor (@Trabzonspor) October 30, 2026

The reverse fixture this season went the same way, Trabzonspor winning 2-1 away at Gaziantep Stadyumu on February 22, 2026, continuing a run that also includes a 1-1 draw in Trabzon on September 20, 2025, a 3-2 Trabzonspor win on February 23, 2025, a 0-0 draw in Gaziantep on September 23, 2024, and a 4-2 Trabzonspor win on April 28, 2024.

Team News & Predicted XI

Onuachu has missed Trabzonspor’s last three matches, but has resumed training. Franculino, the Guinea-Bissau forward, has been in fine form in the past week, but he is now set to spend a week on the sidelines to to a niggling injury. Super Eagles defender Chibuike Nwaiwu continues to anchor the back four alongside Stefan Savić.

Gaziantep FK make the trip without four first-team players. Centre-back Myenty Abena is suspended after a yellow card in the 1-3 defeat at Erzurumspor FK ruled him out of this match, while Nazım Sangaré (back), Ali Kalın (muscle) and Fuat Bavuk (hamstring) are also unavailable. Nigerian midfielder Victor Gidado is expected to continue in Orhan Ak’s engine room.

Star Player Comparison: Salah Against Kozłowski

Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian forward Trabzonspor signed in August 2026, leads the Süper Lig scoring charts with seven goals and three assists in nine matches, and has been directly involved in more than half of his club’s goals this season.

Kacper Kozłowski is the closest thing Gaziantep FK have to an attacking spark, with two goals and one assist, and his movement between the lines will be central to whatever threat Orhan Ak’s side can carry into Trabzon.

The Managers

Thomas Reis, the fifty-two-year-old German, was appointed Trabzonspor head coach in September 2026 on a two-year contract, arriving after two seasons in charge of fellow Süper Lig side Samsunspor and a short spell with Bulgaria’s Ludogorets.

Orhan Ak has been in the Gaziantep FK dugout since September 4, 2026, succeeding Mirel Rădoi, and is still searching for the results that will ease the pressure building around a club sitting just above the relegation zone.

Tactical Preview

Reis has settled on a narrow 4-1-4-1 at Papara Park, with Wagner Pina and Mustafa Eskihellaç pushing on from full-back to support Salah and Ernest Muçi, while Benjamin Bouchouari screens the back four as the lone holding midfielder.

In their last four home league matches, Trabzonspor have won every game, scoring at an average of 3.25 goals and conceding just 0.25, with three clean sheets in that span.

Orhan Ak’s Gaziantep FK have lined up in a 4-2-3-1 this season, but have managed only two wins and one clean sheet from their last four away matches, conceding 1.50 goals per game on the road, a defensive record that leaves Victor Gidado and Ogün Özçiçek with plenty of ground to cover in midfield.

The Naija Slip

Score Prediction

The Turkish Cup champions’ home form and Gaziantep FK’s four-match losing streak point to a routine afternoon for Thomas Reis’ side at Papara Park, with Salah again expected to lead the way in front of goal.