Fenerbahçe, Trabzon seek consolation in cup

ISTANBUL/TRABZON

Titleholder Fenerbahçe has a slight advantage against Eskişehirspor tonight at its Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, entering the Ziraat Turkish Cup semifinal second leg in the back of a 1-1 draw on away field. DHA photo

Fenerbahçe hosts Eskişehirspor and Trabzonspor welcomes Sivasspor, both seeking consolation in the Ziraat Turkish Cup semifinal second leg games tonight.

The two giants want to book their places in the Turkish Cup and thus end the year with a trophy.

Fener, who started the month with high hopes of a treble, now only has the Turkish Cup to play for.
The Yellow Canaries were beaten 3-1 by Benfica on May 2 to be denied a debut Europa League final. Three days later, they saw archrival Galatasaray clinch its 19th league title. Fenerbahçe will try to end the season with at least one trophy by retaining its Ziraat Turkish Cup title.

Last year, Fenerbahçe crushed Bursaspor 4-0 to put an end to its notorious 29-year streak without a Turkish cup.

Fenerbahçe held on for a 1-1 draw in the first leg game at Eskişehirspor. It will try to use its away goal advantage to book a place in the final. However, Eskişehirspor is known as a difficult team to play against, with skilled strikers and its attacking mentality.

The team has two strong marksmen up front, Necati Ateş and Diomansy Kamara, while midfielders Alper Potuk and Erkan Zengin are two of the best performers of the Turkish football campaign this season. Ersun Yanal, a former Turkey, Trabzonspor and Gençlerbirliği coach, is known for his all-out attacking mentality and will try to pose problems for the home team tonight. Fenerbahçe is a five-time winner of the Turkish Cup, while Eskişehirspor has won the cup only once, in 1971.
The match starts at 9:30 p.m.

Trabzonspor hopes to save season

Earlier, Trabzonspor will try to overturn a 2-1 away defeat to Sivas.

Eight-time winner Trabzonspor has suffered a dismal campaign this year, with the team sitting ninth in the Super League, 25 points behind champion Galatasaray.

Trabzon has had a turbulent period, with veteran coach Şenol Güneş resigning in the middle of the season and being replaced by Tolunay Kafkas. After winning the trophy with Kayserispor in 2008, Kafkas will now try to win one with Trabzonspor, where he spent the most successful years of his playing career as a midfielder.

Winning the trophy would also open the doors of European football to Trabzonspor.

The aim is similar for Sivasspor, which has never gone further than the semifinals in the trophy’s history. However, the Central Anatolians played in the Europa League and Champions League preliminaries in back-to-back seasons after finishing in the top four spots in 2008 and 2009.
The game at the Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadium starts at 7 p.m.