Erzurumspor FK vs Rizespor

The match, played at the K7 Nolu Saha pitch within the Palandöken complex, finished 0-0 at both half-time and full-time. Both coaching staffs rotated their entire squads, giving every available player game time as part of their respective pre-season programmes. No goals, cards or major incidents were recorded in the fixture, which was refereed by Erdem Mertoğlu with assistants Samet Çiçek and Barış Çiçeksoy.

This was the final match of Rizespor's Erzurum camp. The Black Sea side had earlier beaten Georgian side FC Dinamo Batumi 3-0 on 15 July, and this 0-0 draw with Erzurumspor FK wrapped up their high-altitude preparations. After the match, Rizespor players were given a short break before the squad reconvenes for the next phase of pre-season — a camp in Slovenia.

For Erzurumspor FK, the Süper Lig newcomers (promoted for the 2026-27 season), this friendly was another step in building fitness and cohesion ahead of their return to the top flight. The club's president Ahmet Dal watched from the stands alongside Erzurum Mayor Mehmet Sekmen and other local officials.

Pre-season friendlies at this stage are about conditioning and tactical experimentation, not results. The goalless scoreline tells the story of two sides in the early phase of their build-up, prioritising squad rotation over attacking ruthlessness. Rizespor now move to Slovenia for their overseas camp, while Erzurumspor FK continue preparations in Palandöken with another friendly scheduled for 20 July.

For bettors tracking pre-season form, the lack of goals is notable but not unusual for a mid-July friendly at altitude, where fitness loads are high and sharpness is still building. Neither team's competitive trajectory should be read into this result alone.

With no official match statistics published and both sides rotating heavily, individual performances are difficult to isolate. The match served its primary purpose: minutes in legs for every squad member.

• Goals: 0-0 (HT 0-0) — a clean sheet for both defences, but also a reflection of limited attacking cohesion at this early stage of pre-season.
• Rotation: Both technical staffs used all available outfield players, indicating a fitness-first approach rather than a result-oriented one.
• Altitude factor: The Palandöken camp sits at approximately 3,100 metres above sea level, adding a physiological stress that typically suppresses match sharpness in early pre-season.

• Erzurumspor FK continue their Palandöken camp with another friendly on 20 July 2026, before finalising preparations for their Süper Lig return.
• Rizespor depart for Slovenia after a short break, where they will continue pre-season training and likely play further friendlies abroad.

A predictable goalless draw in a pre-season friendly played at altitude, where fitness was the priority. Neither side will read anything into the scoreline, and both will have benefited from the 90 minutes of match conditioning. The first competitive tests for both clubs will tell the real story.