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‘Wingless’ Black Eagles seek redemption in Turkish Cup
Today, the group stage of the Ziraat Turkish Cup competition kicks off with two all-Super League Group D clashes -- Manisaspor hosting cup holder Beşiktaş and Antalyaspor entertaining Eskişehirspor.
The Manisaspor-Beşiktaş match is important because it is a clash between two teams that returned home empty-handed in the Super League over the weekend. Beşiktaş was beaten 3-2 at home by Bursaspor on Friday, while Manisaspor was trounced 3-1 away in İstanbul by struggling Kasımpaşa. So both sides are eager to appease their fans by winning today’s cup opener; defeat is something they do not want to even think about.
Embattled Denizli
The pressure, without a doubt, will be tougher on embattled Beşiktaş Black Eagles coach Mustafa Denizli, who needs victory at all costs to avert the wrath of the merciless sports media and the disillusioned fans.
Think about it: Some Beşiktaş fans were even calling for Denizli’s scalp and that of Chairman Yıldırım Demirören when the team was winning. And now that the tide has begun to turn against Beşiktaş, the pressure on the coach and chairman will definitely increase -- especially if the team cannot win today.
But with the Eagles counting their walking wounded, Denizli will be missing several key players this evening. Italian defender Matteo Ferrari, who suffered a broken orbital bone and underwent surgery after colliding with German teammate Michael Fink during the match against Bursaspor on Friday, will be out for at least a month. And club doctor Devrim Urgun has said the Italian will need to wear a face mask when he returns to action.
Fink received four stitches in his head and is doubtful today. And the long injury list includes strikers Filip Holosko, Batuhan Karadeniz and Nihat Kahveci, midfielder Uğur İnceman and defenders İbrahim Toraman and İbrahim Kaş. These players missed training on Sunday.
More important is that Beşiktaş has no goalkeeper. First-choice keeper Rüştü Reçber, also injured in the game against Bursa, has joined his No. 2 Hakan Arıkan at the club’s infirmary. Dr. Urgun said Rüştü will be out for at least two weeks, meaning the fate of Beşiktaş now rests in the hands of the team’s third-choice Korcan Çelikay and junior keeper Rasim Mutlu. How Denizli will be able to form a team, let alone beat Manisaspor today, remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, Antalyaspor coach “Şifo” Mehmet Özdilek, his confidence boosted after his team beat Kayserispor 2-1 away in the Super League on Saturday, has vowed to make Eskişehirspor its next victim.
“We want to advance from this group, and it is incumbent upon us to accomplish this feat,” said the diminutive coach. “We have to clear the first hurdle by beating Eskişehirspor,” he added.
Live on TRT 1 / 17:30 Antalyaspor-Eskişehirspor
Live on TRT 1 / 20:30 Manisaspor vs. Beşiktaş
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