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MULTIMEDIA
May 27, 2012
 
 
 
 
 
 

Lions welcome Storm to ‘den’ as Canaries face Altay at Saracoğlu

Galatasaray captain-playmaker Arda Turan (R) and Trabzonspor striker Umut Bulut, famous for shooting off target rather than at it, battling for the ball when the two teams met in the Super League on Oct. 18.
23 December 2009 / OKAN UDO BASSEY , İSTANBUL
The group stage matches in the Ziraat Turkish Cup competition continue today and will attract plenty of media and fan attention because Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray, the two teams with the largest following in the land, will be in action.

The Fenerbahçe Yellow Canaries, the Turkcell Super League “winter champions,” are expected to clear their first Group A hurdle when they host Aegean Bank Asya League 1 (second division) side Altay at Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in İstanbul.

The Galatasaray Lions face a more difficult task in Group D as they welcome the Trabzon Black Sea Storm to their Ali Sami Yen Stadium -- dubbed “the den” -- and according to the faithful Galatasaray adherents, “There is no exit.”

It is almost a foregone conclusion that the Canaries, their confidence sky high after beating Trabzonspor 1-0 away on Sunday to finish as leaders in the league season’s first half, will beat Altay today. The İzmir side is not in the best of moods following its 2-0 away defeat to Bank Asya League 1 leader Konyaspor on Saturday. And a demoralized Altay would only serve to make the Canaries’ job easier.

Happy Canaries

It was all smiles as the Canaries played with exhilarating confidence during Monday’s practice session. Striker Dani Güiza and midfielders Emre Belözoğlu and Ali Bilgin, who are nursing injuries, trained separately from the rest of the team.

“We take every game seriously, whether it is in the league, the UEFA Europa League or the Turkish Cup,” Fener’s German coach said. “We do not underestimate Altay, for that has never been our policy. We regard them as serious opponents,” he added.

But the thing is that the Canaries have 17 league championships to their credit, but they have won the cup only four times -- the last being in 1983, when many of the people living in this country today were not even born.

Every blessed season since 1983, the Fener administrators have vowed to put an end to the cup drought, but it has been to no avail. And no one, not even the diehard fans, believes them any more.

Ali Sami Yen, the epicenter

The epicenter of today’s Ziraat Turkish Cup matches will be Ali Sami Yen Stadium, where the Lions will be slugging out with the Storm for the second time this season. Fans who follow Turkish soccer closely will remember that Galatasaray beat Trabzonspor 4-3 in their seven-goal Turkcell Super League thriller at Ali Sami Yen on Oct. 18.

As a matter of fact the Storm has not beaten any of the three İstanbul soccer aristocrats in 10 matches, ever since its 2-0 home victory over Fenerbahçe on May 10, 2008.

The Storm, now under the tutelage of Şenol Güneş, is therefore itching to avenge the October 4-3 defeat to Galatasaray and also end its hoodoo against the İstanbul soccer aristocrats. Will the Storm be lucky on its 11th attempt? Maybe, just maybe.

The Lions, it seems are not taking this evening’s match seriously. Dutch coach Frank Rijkaard has given permission to Aussie winger Harry Kewell, Brazilian forward Elano Blumer and Argentine keeper Leo Franco to return to their respective countries for the Christmas holiday.

Injured Abdul Kader Keita, Shabani Nonda, Mehmet Topal, Sabri Sarıoğlu, Milan Baros, Gökhan Zan, Serkan Kurtuluş and Serkan Çalık did not take part in Monday’s training. And if most of them are not fit at match time, Galatasaray will be highly depleted and that could give the Storm a good opportunity to mete out vengeance.

But that can only happen if the misfiring Trabzonspor attacking force -- Umut Bulut and Gökhan Ünal in particular -- relearn how to shoot on target.

Today’s fixtures and venues at a glance

Group A: 18:30 Fener-Altay (Şükrü Saracoğlu)

Group B: 13:30 Denizli BşB-Ankaragücü (Doğan Seyfi Atlı)

Group B: 21:30 Galatasaray-Trabzon (Ali Sami Yen)

Group C: 13:30 Giresunspor-Bursaspor (Giresun Atatürk)

Group C: 13:30 Sivasspor-Tarsus İ.Y. (Sivas 4 Eylül)

Group D: 13:30 Konya Şeker-Kasımpaşa (Recep Konuk)

Live on TRT 1 / 13:25 Giresunspor-Bursaspor

Live on TRT 1 / 18:25 Fenerbahçe-Altay

Live on TRT 1 / 21:25 Galatasaray-Trabzonspor

 
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© Feza Gazetecilik A.Ş. 2007, Ahmet Taner Kışlalı Cad. No: 6, Bahçelievler - İstanbul 34194 Turkey, +90 (212) 454 1454, +90 (212) 454 1497(fax)