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Curtain falls on season’s first half as Storm hosts Canaries
Often reserving their best form for tougher games, Fenerbahçe’s German coach Christoph Daum is confident that his Yellow Canaries, upbeat after their midweek 1-0 UEFA Europa League victory over Moldova’s FC Sheriff on Thursday, will win today.
The Canaries’ morale is further boosted by their controversial 3-2 home victory over struggling Ankaragücü last Saturday.
Did the Ankaragücü shot in the 92nd minute, which should have earned the visiting team a well-deserved equalizer, cross the line? Television replays showed it did, but the goal was not awarded. But that’s none of Fenerbahçe’s business. The referee did not award the goal, and that is it!
Like his players, Daum is also optimistic. “Maybe this will be our best season because we will have to give our all,” the German said. “It won’t be easy, but we want to emerge victorious,” he added.
Daum has several injury problems to deal with. Defender Onder Turacı, Brazilian midfielder Deivid de Souza and Spanish striker Dani Gonzalez Güiza are nursing various injuries and trained only lightly with the team this week.
But the German coach will almost certainly welcome back prolific midfielder Emre Belözoğlu, who seems to have fully recovered from his thigh injury.
Storm winning again
The Trabzon Black Sea Storm has regained its winning touch -- two consecutive victories -- after the fourth coming of coach Şenol Günes. Last weekend the Black Sea lads beat the struggling Denizlispor Roosters to move within two points of the Canaries, who have garnered 34 points in 16 games. The Storm has 32.
This means that victory for the Storm this evening would move them over the Canaries in the 17-team standings. But there is a big if involved: The Storm, more often than not, stumbles against quality opposition.
The records show that the Storm has not beaten any of the three İstanbul soccer aristocrats in nine matches, ever since its 2-0 home victory over Fenerbahçe on May 10, 2008. The results are as follows:
May 10, 2008 Trabzonspor-Fenerbahçe 2-0
Sept. 14, 2008 Trabzonspor-Beşiktaş 0-0
Oct. 19, 2008 Galatasaray-Trabzonspor 3-0
Jan. 25, 2009 Fenerbahçe-Trabzonspor 0-0
Feb. 15, 2009 Beşiktaş-Trabzonspor 1-1
March 15, 2009 Trabzonspor-Galatasaray 2-2
May 30, 2009 Trabzonspor-Fenerbahçe. 1-2
Oct. 18, 2009 Galatasaray-Trabzonspor 4-3
Nov. 7, 2009 Trabzonspor-Beşiktaş 0-2
So if we take history as our guide, then the Storm has no chance against the Canaries this evening. We are not dealing with history here, but with absolute reality. The performance of the two teams this evening will determine the result, not past matches.
Coach Güneş is a former Trabzonspor and Turkey goalkeeper, not a historian, and so did not delve into the history of past matches when he talked to reporters this week.
“United we stand, divided we fall, and this should be our motto,” Güneş said. “And this unity should not only be on the pitch but also off it. In soccer any result is possible and so we should prepare ourselves for any eventuality,” he asserted.
The Storm should be near full strength this evening because only two injured players -- İbrahima Yattara, who has gone to the UK for a medical check-up, and defender Tayfun Cora -- missed this week’s training session.
“Lethargic” strikers Umut Bulut and Gökhan Ünal seem to have relearned the art of scoring, and they have begun to find the back of the net again. And that’s another plus for the Storm this evening.
Kickoff is at 8 p.m., and the referee will be Bülent Yıldırım.
On Friday night, the Bursa Green Crocs beat defending Beşiktaş 3-2 in İstanbul’s İnönü Stadium.
Live on Lig TV
20:00 Trabzonspor-Fenerbahçe
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