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Leader Galatasaray hosts Kayserispor in crucial league match
Galatasaray tops the table three points ahead of archrival Fenerbahçe. The Lions, who faced the risk of losing the top spot in past weeks due to a winless streak, made a comeback before it was too late, defeating depleted Gaziantepspor 2-1 away last week.
Injury-prone Czech striker Milan Baros remains on the sidelines this match as he has been suspended for three games because of a red card offense. After a weeks-long absence due to an injury, Baros made his appearance in the game against Medical Park Antalyaspor, but his return on the pitch only lasted for 15 minutes as he was shown a red card, a big disappointment for Terim.
Galatasaray did not even bother to appeal the discipline committee decision to suspend Baros for three games, a move signaling that Terim does not have any more patience left with Baros. Coach Terim has a new star from the old day now: Necati Ateş.
Having worn the Galatasaray jersey for three seasons, Necati returned to the İstanbul team last week and had a spectacular start, scoring Galatasaray’s first goal in the Gaziantepspor match. Ardent Galatasaray fans are expected to give a warm welcome to the 32-year-old star in his first game at the Türk Telekom Arena. Ivory Coast winger Emmanuel Eboué will miss tonight’s game as his national team faces Zambia in the final of the African Cup of Nations.
Terim has not yet found an alternative to fill his position as his efforts to substitute him with Turkey winger Sabri Sarıoğlu have thus far proven to be ineffective. The Lions’ Achilles heel will be the left wing of their defense as Hakan Balta and Çağlar Birinci are sidelined to miss the Kayserispor game due to injuries. Terim is expected to field Emre Çolak as the left winger of the defense.
Elsewhere Gençlerbirliği faces Mersin İdmanyurdu at home in Ankara earlier on Saturday to cling to the fourth and the last playoff spot. The Ankara team made a huge leap in the second half of the season, climbing from the middle places to become the number four team at the moment.
Gençlerbirliği claimed the current position last week after a 3-2 victory over Kayserispor as the former number four, Trabzonspor, faltered against Medical Park Antalyaspor at the same time. Midfielder Özgür İleri, Albanian defender Debatik Curri and striker Emre Aygün are sidelined for the Mersin İdmanyurdu match.
The Mersin side, holding the 13th place on the table, aims at an away victory against Gençlerbirliği. Coach Nurullah Sağlam told reporters following a training session on Thursday that a good score against Gençlerbirliği will motivate them for the matches against Galatasaray and Trabzonspor they will play next week and the week after.
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