Red hot Galatasaray aim eighth successive win in Super League

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Galatasaray players celebrate a goal during the team’s 4-1 Super League victory over Istanbul BB. AA Photo

Leader Galatasaray visits relegation-battling Samsunspor on Jan. 7 in a bid to extend its winning record in the Spor Toto Super League to eight games.

The Lions seem unstoppable right now, winning all seven games since the Sivasspor victory Nov. 26, 2011. Galatasaray scored 16 goals, conceding only three in the process.

That period includes three-goal victories over rivals Fenerbahçe and Trabzonspor and helped Galatasaray not only take over the top spot but also get the nod of the main contender of the competition.

Galatasaray has 40 points and is looking down on its fierce rivals Fenerbahçe, with 36 points, and Beşiktaş, who has 35 points.

Galatasaray managed to return from a two-week league break on Jan. 3, beating Istanbul BB 4-1, but it was slightly more difficult than the score line suggests. Galatasaray found three goals in the second half after Istanbul BB was left with 10 men following the dismissal of Pierre Webo, the team’s top goal scorer, due to a fierce tackle.

Wonder boy Emre

The star of the night however was Emre Çolak, who scored two goals to cap his illustrious season. The 20-year-old product of Galatasaray’s youth system was previously given several chances during the coaching spells of Frank Rijkaard and Gheorghe Hagi in the previous two seasons, but he thrived under the guidance of the coach Fatih Terim.

While things look rosy at Galatasaray, Samsunspor is yet to find an answer to stop its bleeding. The team hailing from Turkey’s Black Sea region could only win twice in 18 games. It is sitting 16th with 13 points, five behind Orduspor at 15th.

Galatasaray will be without Emmanuel Eboue, who joined the Ivory Coast squad that will participate in the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Samsunspor vs. Galatasaray game, which starts at 7 p.m., is the last of three Spor Toto Super League games on Jan. 7. Earlier, Bursaspor welcomes Mersin İdman Yurdu and Istanbul BB hosts Trabzonspor at 4 p.m.

Another title contender, Beşiktaş, also visits a relegation-battler, Ankaragücü. The Black Eagles, which started the second part of the season with a comfortable 2-0 win over fourth-place Eskişehirspor on Jan. 4, will try to get its third win in a row.

Ankaragücü, sitting on the bottom of the 18-team standings, got only its second win this season thanks to a midweek upset victory over Mersin İdman Yurdu. Beşiktaş will try to be cautious about another upset.

Before the Ankaragücü vs. Beşiktaş game at 7 p.m., Eskişehirspor hosts Sivasspor and Antalyaspor takes on Kayserispor at 4 p.m. The first two matches that day will be the Kardemir Karabük vs. Gençlerbirliği and Manisaspor vs. Orduspor. k HDN