Clouds hang over Canaries, Daum as they host Antep

The Canaries therefore face a must-win situation in their desperate bid to revive their flagging championship chances as they entertain the Gaziantepspor Falcons in their Turkcell Super League week 26 encounter today. So desperate is Daum that he felt the need to hold a short meeting with the players before Thursday’s practice session.

“What the outcome at the end of the season will be we don’t know,” he told his players. “However, what we know for sure is that we must get better. And so until the season’s finale, until the final whistle, we mustn’t give up the fight,” he also stated.

“The most important thing is self-belief. I believe in you guys, and I want you to believe in yourselves,” he further asserted.

Emre doubtful?

Temperamental Turkey midfielder Emre Belözoğlu missed Thursday’s practice session due to the flu (not swinish or birdish). Emre in fact reported for training but was advised by the club doctors to rest for another day.

First-choice goalkeeper Volkan Demirel, Brazilian-Turkish leftie Gökçek Wederson and off-form Turkey striker Semih Şentürk, who were absent the day before, joined the rest of the team for Thursday’s training. But long-term injury case Uğur Boral, whose season is over, and Brazilian midfielder Cristian Baroni, who suffered a knock in the match against Gençlerbirliği, did not take part.

Brazilian captain-playmaker Alex De Souza, suspended for two matches after getting a direct red in the home match against Diyarbakırspor, has served out his two-game suspension and so is eligible to play today.

Daum’s starting XI took shape during Thursday’s practice session: Gökhan Gönul, Uruguayan Diego Lugano and Brazilians Fabio Bilica and Andre Santos manned the defense; in midfield were Mehmet Topuz, Özer Hurmacı and Deniz Barış; while Alex paired up with Spain striker Dani Gonzalez Güiza upfront.

Back against the wall

The Canaries tumbled from second to fourth after last weekend’s draw. This means the Canaries cannot afford to drop points anymore in their remaining eight matches. With the top four teams separated by just six points, nothing is won or lost yet. Eight matches mean 24 points, and things can change drastically. So no one has the right to write Fenerbahçe off at this stage, but the Yellow Canaries must feel good about themselves and also keep their eyes on the prize.

We said before that Fenerbahçe is team where finishing second is tantamount to finishing last. The Canaries are currently fourth, and that cannot be tolerated by the demanding fans.

So for embattled Herr Daum, this evening’s match could be the last straw: Win and continue for at least another week or lose and pack your bags immediately.

Antep relaxed

Midtable Antep, which drew 1-1 at home with Trabzonspor last weekend, has no such problems. Jose Couceiro’s men are relatively relaxed and are not under any pressure to win. But if they do so, they will be named “team of the week.” If they lose, then it will be “a foregone conclusion.”

Nonetheless, Portuguese coach Couceiro sounded a timely warning, “We are playing away against a contender about to drop out of the title race. It won’t easy, and so we must be prepared for a tough clash,” he said.

Live on LİG TV / 19:00 Fenerbahçe-Gaziantepspor

Today’s fixtures and referees at a glance

14:00 Manisaspor - İstanbul BşB

Referee: Halis Özkahya

14:00 Diyarbakırspor - Antalyaspor

Referee: İlker Meral

19:00 Fenerbahçe - Gaziantepspor

Referee: Kuddusi Müftüoğlu