Final 90 minutes to decide Turkish Süper Lig champion

ISTANBUL

The 2021 Turkish Süper Lig champion will be decided on May 15 when a fierce battle between the major Istanbul clubs, Beşiktaş, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, is completed.

League leader Beşiktaş racked up 81 points in 39 weeks, but a shock 2-1 home loss against middle-table Karagümrük on May 11, which came after a 3-1 loss at Galatasaray on May 8, put its title chances at risk.

Also with 81 points, Galatasaray trails Beşiktaş on a two-goal difference.

Besiktas scored 87 goals and conceded 43 to have a goal difference of 44 in the standings, while Galatasaray scored 77 goals and conceded 35, giving it a goal difference of 42.

Galatasaray is on an eight-game unbeaten run in the league, having won six of those games. A 4-1 away win on May 11 against already-relegated Denizlispor leveled it with its city rival in the standings.

The season’s last game for Galatasaray will be against Malatyaspor in Istanbul. In order to be crowned the champion, Galatasaray needs to secure a goal parade to leapfrog Beşiktaş on goal difference.

Meanwhile, Beşiktaş will visit Göztepe. The leader will focus on a victory, since a draw or loss may spell trouble in the final juncture.

Third-placed Fenerbahçe has the slimmest chances at the title with 79 points.

The club will hope for mistakes from rivals Beşiktaş and Galatasaray and in case they falter, needs to get a win against Kayserispor to have a shot at winning the trophy.

A 2-1 loss on May 11 at home against Sivasspor means Fenerbahçe may have to wait for another year to claim the league title, which it last won in the 2013-2014 season.

Kayserispor, on the other hand, is currently in 17th place with 41 points. The team from the Central Anatolia region is in need of at least a draw to avoid being relegated.

Three clubs have already been relegated from the Süper Lig: Erzurumspor, Ankaragücü and Denizlispor, and a fourth club is waiting for bad news.

Only one team in the relegation zone is struggling to survive: Gençlerbirliği, which has 38 points before the final week.

The Ankara club will face fourth-placed Trabzonspor in the Black Sea province of Trabzon, a tough away match.

It will be a life or death match for Gençlerbirliği as the visitor’s first task is to grab a win to level with Kayserispor in the standings.

The “Red and Black” will then have to root for a loss by Kayserispor against Fenerbahçe.

The Ankara club has the advantage in head-to-head comparison against Kayserispor this season, winning their game in the first half of the season 3-2 at home and playing to a 2-2 draw in the away match.

All games in the final week of the Süper Lig will be played on May 15, with the games regarding the title race and relegation battle kicking off at 8:30 p.m. local time and six other matches starting at 6 p.m.