It has been sixteen years since Galatasaray defeated Fenerbahce in the Sukru Saracoglu, but this year all is on the line as both teams are battling for their 20th Super Lig title; the 20th title that will get the champion the much anticipated four star.
Fenerbahce go into the match having dropped 5 points out of their past two matches, sustaining a shocking 2-1 loss to former Fenerbahce player Roberto Carlos' Akhisar and a 1-1 away draw to former Fenerbahce coach Aykut Kocaman's Konyaspor. Galatasaray on the other hand are coming off a series of 12 undefeated matches.
A win today will put Fenerbahce in second, one point behind Galatasaray however a draw will keep Galatasaray on top with four points and a Galatasaray win will end Fenerbahce's dreams of a fourth star this season as Galatasaray would then enjoy a 7-point lead over the Yellow Canaries. Current league standings available here.
However history in the Sukru Saracoglu suggests that Galatasaray's 12-match undefeated run will come to an end, and their 5,555 days without a win drought at Fenerbahce's turf will be prolonged as Fenerbahce's coach Ismail Kartal is expected to go out with a more attacking lineup today, dropping the two holding mids Selcuk Sahin and Raul Meireles and replacing them with the more attacking Emre Belozoglu and Diego Ribas; with the possibility of Pierre Webo replacing Emenike as the team's striker. Injured player Alper Potuk will make the bench while Hasan Ali Kaldirim won't be on the roster due to injury.
The match will kickoff at 19:00 (Turkish timing) and will be live on Lig TV and will be officiated by Cuneyt Cakir.
Expected Lineups:
Fenerbahce: Volkan - Gokhan Gonul, Bruno Alves, Egemen Korkmaz, Caner Erkin - Mehmet Topal, Emre Belozoglu - Dirk Kuyt, Diego Ribas, Moussa Sow - Emmanuel Emenike (or Pierre Webo).
Galatasaray: Muslera - Sabri Sarioglu, Aurelien Chedjou, Hakan (Koray), Alex Telles - Selcuk Inan, Hamit Altintop, Wesley Sneijder - Oclan Adin, Umut Bulut, Burak Yilmaz.
Live scores and details of the match can be followed in the "Live Scores" tab above.
