Icing on cake for one, the main prize to other

Two bitter rivals take the stage for winning the Fortis Turkish Cup tonight, but with totally different reasons. Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş play for the domestic trophy at the Atatürk Stadium in İzmir, for one of the highlights of the Turkish football season. But while Fenerbahçe needs the victory for making a consolation for an otherwise a miserable campaign, Beşiktaş wants the trophy for taking the first step to a long-sought trophy double.

Following the goalless draw at Galatasaray three weeks ago, Fenerbahçe showed signs that it prematurely ended its hopes for winning the Turkcell Super League with consecutive defeats at the hands of Ankaraspor and Ankaragücü. The team did not show any concentration to win these games, and made its intentions obvious: The league was gone, and the Turkish cup would be the only decent option to have something to hold on to.

As a result, Fenerbahçe will take the Fortis Turkish Cup as a final chance to add a trophy to its miserable season, which it started with the hopes of a league victory and European cup success, but ended up with throwing the towel early in both competitions.

The fact that Fener takes the game as the final game of the season can be seen in the way club board will hand out bonuses to players in case of a win. An amazing total of 2 million Turkish Liras will be paid to footballers, as daily Hürriyet reported yesterday in a story with the headline, "A cup full of money."

Not that players did not deserve it: So far, Fenerbahçe was given a 2,036,000 liras as a result of its performances in the cup, where it got seven wins and one draw in eight games. For Beşiktaş, the outcome of performances were slightly less, as it got 1,936,000 liras for seven wins and a defeat. While Fenerbahçe’s attempt to win the cup is completely out of desperation, Beşiktaş’s bid for the trophy is more for making club history, with only the second ever trophy double with league and cup victories.

The only team that chases a trophy double
Coach Mustafa Denizli previously expressed his pride that Beşiktaş was the only outfit that is still contending for the titles in the league and the cup, saying, "There are four teams still running, there is Sivasspor, there is Fenerbahçe, and only us that are in the final stages of two cups."

Following last Saturday’s 4-1 win at Ankaraspor that gave them the league lead as Sivasspor slumped to a 2-1 loss against the Istanbul Municipality, the Black Eagles are now in the driving seat of the league. If Beşiktaş wins the Turkish Cup today, it will be a major step for team’s bid for a double, a feat that was achieved only once before, during the 1989-1990 campaign.

Beşiktaş may rely on history, as it won both of occasions when it met Fenerbahçe in the final. The Black Eagles won the cup on 3-1 aggregate in two games in the 1989 final, and saw off its archrival after a dramatic 3-2 overtime victory in 2006.

The stadium factor is on the Black Eagles’ side as well: Beşiktaş played in four of the five previous finals that were played at the Atatürk Stadium, winning the cup on three of those occasions, including the 2006 final.

History may be on Beşiktaş’s side, as well as a fine league form, but a victory is never taken for granted as far as derby matches and finals go. Fenerbahçe proved the unpredictability of games between rivals once again two weeks ago, as it beat Beşiktaş 2-1, much to the surprise of critics, who suggested an easy victory for Beşiktaş.

Tonight’s final match kicks off at 8 p.m.

Yellow canaries look to end 26-year itch
A reason why Fenerbahçe will be fired up for winning the cup final will be the urge to end a drought that dates back a quarter century ago.

If Fenerbahçe manages to win, it will end its 26-year drought in the competition, which it last won over Mersin İdman Yurdu in the 1983 campaign. The Yellow Canaries have played in the final 11 times and lifted the trophy four times.

For Beşiktaş, which has seven wins in 13 finals, it is a matter of proving that it is the most successful cup performer in the last decade: Beşiktaş is tied with Trabzonspor with two Turkish Cups apiece since 2000. Both teams have a total of seven victories in the cup, sharing the second spot behind Galatasaray, the all-time best performer with 14 victories.