Super League week 5 opens with Karabük-Antalya clash

Michael Skibbe’s Karabükspor, which goes into this match in 17th place against Mehmet Özdilek’s mid-table Antalyaspor, has the second worst record in the league -- no wins, three draws, three goals for, 10 against and only a point in four outings.

This is the third coming for 47-year-old Gelsenkirchen-born German coach Skibbe, who had previously coached Galatasaray in 2008-09 and Eskişehirspor in 2011.

So the German man has seen it all before in topflight Turkish football and also knows what befalls underachieving coaches. Simply put, if his mediocre Karabükspor fails to beat Antalyaspor on Friday, then Skibbe might be the first Super League coach to get the boot this season

Life is not also easy for Özdilek, whose Antalyaspor has won two and lost two and was walloped 4-0 at home by defending champion Galatasaray last Friday. Özdilek has coached Antalyaspor nonstop since 2008, but if his team drops points against whipping boy Karabükspor on Friday, criticism of Özdilek’s game plan and tactics might begin to surface.

This is a clash of two struggling teams and two teams in dire need of points. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. and the referee will be Volkan Bayarslan.