Football enthusiasts from all over the world have their sights set on Sunday as two Istanbul giants, Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray, will meet for the 395th time for the heated Turkish Süper Lig match also known as the "Intercontinental Derby."
Facing troubles both on the pitch and at the administrative level, Galatasaray will be facing its city rival which is currently enjoying an improvement in form in the Turkish Süper Lig. Fenerbahçe's last defeat came in early February and the team was victorious in six games played since, only conceding a draw to leader and likely champion Trabzonspor.
A win is crucial for third-placed Fenerbahçe to resume trailing runner-up Konyaspor and grab the second ticket to the Champions League. Fenerbahçe has no missing players except for midfielders Mesut Özil and Ozan Tufan, who were dropped from the squad in late February.
Nigerian winger Bright Osayi-Samuel, who plays as a right-back for the Yellow Canaries, told reporters on Wednesday that their performance as a team has been improving in each match compared to the previous ones, and called on Fenerbahçe fans to support the team wholeheartedly as they have done for the last couple of weeks.
After one of its worst seasons in the domestic scene, Galatasaray is 13th and has no major assertions for the remainder of the season. The Yellow Reds have recently been embroiled in turmoil after the club's general assembly refused to grant an administrative discharge to President Burak Elmas, paving the way for elections.
However, the derby is crucial for both clubs and Domenec Torrent's men will likely seek to save face and lift the spirits of fans. The Lions will be playing without Kerem Aktürkoğlu, the 24-year-old winger who displayed a spectacular performance this season. Algerian winger Sofiane Feghouli will also likely miss the match due to his ongoing injury, while the condition of Egyptian forward Mostafa Mohamed remains in tatters.
Turkey's football scene has made a name for itself lately due to the high number of fouls and interruptions to gameplay, and a tougher battle is expected on the pitch on Sunday, as was reflected in Anadolu Agency's (AA) compilation of card statistics.
Accordingly, referees have shown 43 red and 333 yellow cards in the past 56 games between Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray. The last match between the two teams in November, which saw Fenerbahçe clinch a 2-1 victory at Galatasaray's home ground, saw one red and nine yellow cards.
The heated atmosphere is expected to make things harder for referee Atilla Karaoğlan, who will be conducting a derby match for the second time in his career. Karaoğlan previously refereed in the Galatasaray-Beşiktaş derby this season and also oversaw the Galatasaray-Trabzonspor match earlier in January.
Another statistic shows that in the last 57 derbies, the team that scored the first goal won the match in 35 instances and only lost five times. Galatasaray won 12 matches that it made the headway, while Fenerbahçe won 23 games after scoring the first goals.
