Galatasaray, Trabzon turn attention to lea

ISTANBUL

Trabzonspor’s Janko celebrates his goal during their Europa League group match against Legia. The team will visit Kasımpaşa in Istanbul on Oct 28. AA photo

Both Galatasaray and Trabzonspor will be looking to build on their mid-week European successes as they head into the weekend, while Fenerbahçe attempts to continue its long unbeaten run.

Fresh from beating FC Copenhagen in the Champions League with three goals at Türk Telekom Arena on Oct. 23, Galatasaray will be looking for another victory against Kayserispor on Oct. 27.

After tasting his first victory at the helm of the team against Karabükspor last weekend, Italian coach Roberto Mancini is aiming to sustain the momentum and climb the standings after an indifferent start to the league campaign.

In addition to the Karabükspor triumph, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) finally awarded three points to the club for its suspended derby against Beşiktaş on Sept. 22. Galatasaray was leading 2-1 in injury at the time when apparent Beşiktaş supporters invaded the pitch. The TFF awarded the Lions a 3-0 victory, allowing the team to climb to sixth with 13 points.

Victorious Trabzonspor eyes Kasımpaşa victory

In one of the most anticipated games of the week, Kasımpaşa, which is third in the league with 15 points, will host Trabzonspor on Oct. 28 at Istanbul’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stadium.

Fueled by the consolidation of its top spot in Europa League Group J after defeating Legia Warsaw on Oct. 24, triumphant Trabzonspor will be fighting to leapfrog its Istanbul rival and grab a European position.

Despite the fixture congestion that could put a dent in the team’s performance, the Black Sea Storm is intent on fighting on both the European and domestic fronts.

In another evening kickoff on Oct. 26, second-placed Beşiktaş will visit Akhisar Belediye Gençlik, which scored a famous 4-1 victory over its illustrious Istanbul rivals in the closing stages of last season and also put Galatasaray to the sword earlier in October.

League leader Fenarbahçe, which has not lost since the opening day of the season, was set to face off against Gaziantepspor late on Oct. 25 at Şükrü Saraçoğlu Stadium in Istanbul.