Much at stake as Storm, Lions clash at Avni Aker

The championship-chasing Lions go into this match with 53 points from 25 outings, needing victory at all costs to remain among the leading pack. Trabzonspor is a distant fifth with 43 points, and its chances of winning this season’s title or even finishing second and playing in the UEFA Champions League next season have already gone with the wind.

The Lions are brimming with confidence after beating Ankaragücü 3-0 in İstanbul last weekend to avenge a defeat by the same score in Ankara during the first half of the season. Ivory Coast winger Abdul Kader Keita, captain-playmaker Arda Turan and Brazil striker Joao Alves were outstanding against Ankara last weekend, and if these players can find their rhythm, the Storm’s defense may be forced to work harder than usual to contain Galatasaray’s onslaught.

Injury scare

However, Arda and stopper Mehmet Topal abandoned training on Friday after colliding badly during a practice session. Club doctors said Mehmet bruised his knee and Arda his waist. Both players were immediately put through intensive treatment, but there was no word from the club on whether they would be fit by match time.

Galatasaray Czech striker Milan Baros, who has fully recovered after breaking his foot in week 10, is now gloating. Baros, after 140 days on the sidelines, came in as a substitute in the 76th minute last Sunday against Ankaragücü and scored the Lions’ third goal in the second minute of added time.

“Henceforth, Galatasaray will be unstoppable,” Baros reportedly said this week. “I am back, the goal king is back and Galatasaray will be champion by winning all its remaining nine matches. And I say Galatasaray doesn’t need anyone’s help to do so,” he added.

The days of fanciful soccer may be over as the season heads toward the finale, according to Galatasaray Dutch coach Frank Rijkaard.

“From now on, we will be going for the result,” the Dutchman said. “In the past we had tried to thrill the crowd with stylish and entertaining soccer, but with time running out, we will now be aiming for a good result, nothing else,” he also noted.

Operation Desperate Storm

The Storm has been suffering from a drop in form recently, and it is almost certain that the Storm is again out of this season’s race for the elusive league championship -- something Trabzonspor has not won since 1984.

Trabzonspor’s best chance of ending winning anything at all this season is by clinching the Ziraat Turkish Cup. The Storm is in the semifinals, where it is pitted against Antalyaspor.

However, the Storm will be all out to exact revenge on the Lions for the 4-3 defeat in İstanbul in the season’s first half -- thereby breaking the jinx against the İstanbul “Big Three.”

In 10 straight matches, the Storm has not beaten Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe or Beşiktaş -- in any competition -- at home or away. The last time Trabzonspor beat any of these three teams was in a home victory over the Fenerbahçe Yellow Canaries on May 10, 2008.

Since then, the Storm has played 10 matches against the İstanbul “Big Three” -- nine in the league and one in the Turkish Cup. Trabzonspor has drawn six and lost 10 with eight goals for and 17 against.

“No mas” the Storm wants to say this evening, if it can send the Lions back to İstanbul empty-handed.

Trabzon was well below par in its 1-1 away draw with Gaziantepspor last weekend. And Galatasaray is a better team than Antep by all standards, so the Storm will have to be at its best to “upset” the Lions.

Moreover, the Lions beat Gaziantepspor 1-0 not too long ago in their league match in İstanbul. So syllogistically, if Galatasaray beat Gaziantepspor and Gaziantepspor drew with Trabzonspor, then Galatasaray can beat Trabzonspor. But this is only true in the realm of logic, not on the soccer pitch.

The Storm has injury cases to deal with. Three defenders -- Ferhat Öztorun, Ömer Aysan Barış and Egemen Korkmaz -- missed Friday’s training due to various injuries, and if they are not fit to play today, the Storm could be in hotter water.

Coach Şenol Güneş, in his fourth coming to Trabzon, naturally wants to end the hoodoo against İstanbul. He knows he may succeed or fail again. And that’s the reason why he decided to talk less.

“It will be a difficult match for us and for them [Galatasaray] as well,” he said. “We want to win, they do also. And so it will be a very exciting match,” he added.

In Super League action on Friday, defending champion Beşiktaş was held to a 2-2 draw by Kasımpaşa in their “mini” İstanbul derby at the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Stadium.

Fixtures and referees at a glance

14:00 Sivasspor-Gençlerbirliği

Referee: Barış Şimşek 

14:00 Ankaragücü-Kayserispor

Referee: Aytekin Durmaz

19:00 Trabzonspor-Galatasaray

Referee: Yunus Yıldırım 

Monday

20:00 Bursaspor-Denizlispor 

Referee: Serkan Çınar