The two teams experienced contrasting fortunes in league action last weekend and that gives added importance to today’s encounter.Mersin İdmanyurdu went down 2-0 to leader Konyaspor, while Kartalspor beat visiting Karşıyaka by the same score. The outcome meant Mersin dropping to 10th in the standings and therefore the team no longer has the luxury of losing points. Mersin has only garnered 10 points from three wins, one draw and five losses in nine outings and the club’s administrators are not happy one bit with the team’s poor run. Chairman Ali Kahramanlı met this week with the technical staff to discuss how they can remedy the situation.
“Every Mersin supporter wants success, but success is not forthcoming,” Kahramanlı told reporters after the meeting. “We are struggling to solve the financial crisis. We [the players] are not giving our all on the pitch. It is therefore incumbent upon us to end to this downward trend immediately and return to winning ways,” the visibly frustrated chairman added.
Kartalspor has no such problems. The İstanbul side is placed fourth with five wins, two draws and two losses in nine matches and, therefore, among the teams favored for promotion to the Turkcell Super League at the end of this season. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m. and the referee will be Taner Gizlenci.
