Upbeat Galatasaray off to make a good start
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Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 08, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Ending the year on a high note with successive wins, Galatasaray hopes that it will not miss a beat after the break. Playing at League One Altay in the Cup tonight, the Lions look to maintain its good form and avoid an upset
The new year kicks of for Galatasaray in a fairly comfortable fashion with it away to Altay in the Fortis Turkish Cup tonight, or as comfortable as any game can be in a tournament of surprises.
Although failing to sustain consistent form during the first months of the season, Galatasaray managed to end the year on a high with three successive wins to leave itself one point behind top two place holders Sivasspor and Trabzonspor in the Turkcell Super League.
Galatasaray is the all-time top performer in the tournament with 14 victories, although it is on a four-year drought in the Fortis Turkish Cup.
The only Turkish team to continue chasing the trophies in three separate competitions, namely the Turkcell Super League and the UEFA Cup alongside the Fortis Turkish Cup, Galatasaray looks set to qualify for the next round, booking its place one match day earlier.
Galatasaray is unbeaten after its first two games, with one draw to Ankaraspor and a 1-0 win against the defending champion Kayserispor. Youngster Aydın Yılmaz’s last minute goal against the latter is likely to play a crucial role for Galatasaray, as all three teams are on four points competing for just the top two spots up for grabs.
While three solid teams of the Turkcell Super League are chasing tickets to the last eight, Altay, alongside Malatyaspor, is in a desperate bid to force its luck. Already busy fighting for a playoff spot in its division, the League One side’s main agenda is climbing back to the top-flight in Turkish football.
However, in the first and the only game it played in Group B, the İzmir side proved that it was not a simple pushover side that was just happy to be here. With a 1-1 draw to Kayserispor, Altay has something to build on and has a proper chance of making its way out of the group if it manages to upset Galatasaray tonight.
Coached by one of the legendary strikers of Turkish football, Feyyaz Uçar, Altay wants to prove its worth not least take a huge boost in confidence with a fine display and positive result against the reigning Turkish champion.
"We want to play good football against Galatasaray, showing what we can do," said Uçar. "Our main goal may be winning promotion to the Turkcell Super League but we will do the best we can against Galatasaray."
Meanwhile, Uçar’s former club as a player, Beşiktaş, won a berth in the quarterfinals with a 3-1 win against Gaziantep Municipality on Tuesday. Beşiktaş is perfect with nine points in the competition, and three points ahead of Gaziantepspor, who also made its way to the last eight.
Although failing to sustain consistent form during the first months of the season, Galatasaray managed to end the year on a high with three successive wins to leave itself one point behind top two place holders Sivasspor and Trabzonspor in the Turkcell Super League.
Galatasaray is the all-time top performer in the tournament with 14 victories, although it is on a four-year drought in the Fortis Turkish Cup.
The only Turkish team to continue chasing the trophies in three separate competitions, namely the Turkcell Super League and the UEFA Cup alongside the Fortis Turkish Cup, Galatasaray looks set to qualify for the next round, booking its place one match day earlier.
Galatasaray is unbeaten after its first two games, with one draw to Ankaraspor and a 1-0 win against the defending champion Kayserispor. Youngster Aydın Yılmaz’s last minute goal against the latter is likely to play a crucial role for Galatasaray, as all three teams are on four points competing for just the top two spots up for grabs.
While three solid teams of the Turkcell Super League are chasing tickets to the last eight, Altay, alongside Malatyaspor, is in a desperate bid to force its luck. Already busy fighting for a playoff spot in its division, the League One side’s main agenda is climbing back to the top-flight in Turkish football.
However, in the first and the only game it played in Group B, the İzmir side proved that it was not a simple pushover side that was just happy to be here. With a 1-1 draw to Kayserispor, Altay has something to build on and has a proper chance of making its way out of the group if it manages to upset Galatasaray tonight.
Coached by one of the legendary strikers of Turkish football, Feyyaz Uçar, Altay wants to prove its worth not least take a huge boost in confidence with a fine display and positive result against the reigning Turkish champion.
"We want to play good football against Galatasaray, showing what we can do," said Uçar. "Our main goal may be winning promotion to the Turkcell Super League but we will do the best we can against Galatasaray."
Meanwhile, Uçar’s former club as a player, Beşiktaş, won a berth in the quarterfinals with a 3-1 win against Gaziantep Municipality on Tuesday. Beşiktaş is perfect with nine points in the competition, and three points ahead of Gaziantepspor, who also made its way to the last eight.