Ankaragücü visits leader Galatasaray

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

The mid-week action in the Spor Toto Super League continues as league leader Galatasaray hosts struggling Ankaragücü, while second placed Fenerbahçe takes on Istanbul BB tonight.

In tonight’s other games, Gençlerbirliği hosts Bursaspor, Karabükspor visits Orduspor and Trabzonspor takes on Eskişehirspor at home.

Galatasaray was held to a goalless draw Jan. 22 at Eskişehirspor, which put an end to an eight-game victory streak in the league. The club will be hoping to start another good run against relegation-threatened Ankaragücü tonight.

The Istanbul club has also been trying to strengthen its squad, with top target previously identified as Basel’s Swiss international midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri. However, fans received bad news on the transfer yesterday.

“Basel asked for a price we cannot accept for the player, so Shaqiri’s transfer to Galatasaray is off the table,” Galatasaray Vice Chairman Ali Dürüst was quoted as saying by the Anatolia news agency yesterday. The club also informed the Istanbul Stock Exchange (İMKB) about the failed deal.

Ankaragücü has been dealing with financial problems for weeks. Coach Hakan Kutlu said his players will do their best against the league leader despite the problems.