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Black Eagles lie in wait for gritty Gençler at İnönü
This evening the Eagles host gritty Ankara side Gençlerbirliği in their week 20 match at İstanbul’s İnönü Stadium, knowing quite well that they have to win this one as well as all their remaining matches this season in order to retain the coveted silverware.
Beşiktaş has won one of its two league matches in the second half of the season, beating Mediterranean side Antalyaspor 1-0 away last Friday with the help of a dubious penalty. The reigning champion’s opening match against İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor was called off due to the heavy snow that blanketed İstanbul that weekend. The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has yet to decide on a date for the replay.
The Black Eagles, who clinched the league and cup double last season, are unrecognizable in 2009-10. They have already been eliminated from all European competitions as well as the Ziraat Turkish Cup, and their league championship chances hang by a thread. They only have the league to play for and henceforward do not have the luxury of drawing their matches, let alone losing.
Wounded warriors
But this evening’s match against Gençler could not have come at a worse time for the Eagles, who will not only be missing several regular starters through injury, but also head coach Mustafa Denizli, who underwent surgery at the American Hospital in İstanbul on Wednesday to clear his hepatic veins. And the doctors said Denizli will need time and proper care to recuperate and heal.
With Denizli convalescing, assistant coach Tayfur Havutçu was the boss this week as he led the players during the practice sessions. Injured first-choice keeper Rüştü Reçber and Chile leftie Rodrigo Tello were conspicuously absent from Wednesday’s training, while second-choice keeper Hakan Arıkan and Italian defender Matteo Ferrari trained separately from the team.
“It will be business as usual even without our coach,” Tayfur said. “We will form a strong team, go out there and do what is expected of us,” he further noted.
Incumbent Beşiktaş Chairman Yıldırım Demirören immediately issued a call for unity last Sunday after he was given the three-year mandate for the third time in the wake of a rough-and-tumble election battle.
But the fact of the matter is that unity at Beşiktaş will remain a far-fetched dream if the Eagles fail to win the Turkcell Super League -- the only competition they have not yet been eliminated from this season.
Gençler the spoiler
Gençlerbirliği is not and never has been championship material, but the Ankara side is popular for its role as a spoiler.
Thomas Doll’s men lost 1-0 to Galatasaray in İstanbul in their opening match of the season’s second half partly because they played with 10 men for most of the game. An 11-man Gençler might be a very hard nut for the Eagles to crack.
Gençlerbirliği’s German coach, Doll, while wishing Denizli a speedy recovery, warned his players against expecting an easy ride in İstanbul this evening. “Though the absence of Denizli might seem a disadvantage, the Beşiktaş players are capable of turning this ‘disadvantage’ into a huge advantage,” he said. “We, therefore, cannot afford to rest on our laurels,” he warned.
Serbian midfielder Jurica Vranjes, Democratic Republic of the Congo striker Patiyo Tambwe and 21-year-old Germany-born Turkish left back Alparslan missed training sessions this week and are therefore doubtful for this evening. Kickoff is at 8 p.m., and the referee will be Bünyamin Gezer.
Live on LİG TV 20:00 Beşiktaş vs. Gençlerbirliği
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