In the Turkish league, including two Istanbul clubs, all teams have already played fifteen matches each. As the season reaches this milestone, Eufofootball.lt presents you with an overview of the "Super Lig" championship.
Leaders: "Fenerbahce"
After last season, where they lost to the "Galatasaray" team, "Fenerbahce" actively worked in the transfer market in the summer and brought in several well-known players to their club. It seems that these players can bring back the championship title to their new team, as their representative club currently holds the top spot in Turkey. However, if today "Besiktas" were to win, they would surpass the "Fenerbahce" team in points.
The newcomers who contribute the most to the results this season are - Fernandao from Brazil, and the duo of Robin van Persie and Nani from "Manchester United," all three scoring five goals each in the "Super Lig" championship. The Portuguese player also added four assists to his goals.
Underdogs: "Akhisarspor"
Never before having achieved a position higher than tenth in Turkey, the "Akhisarspor" team has surprised many this season and currently holds the third position in the league. The fact that they can compete with the league leaders has been proven in their matches against favorites - they drew against "Fenerbahce" and defeated "Besiktas." However, in order to make a serious challenge for the top positions in the "Super Lig" championship, they mostly lack stability - the team often loses points against weaker teams in Turkey.
The progress of "Akhisarspor" is led by Hugo Rodallega, acquired from the "Fulham" team in the summer, who has already scored ten goals this season. The Colombian striker has scored almost half of all team goals, sharing the 2-3 positions in the list of top scorers.
Disappointment: "Bursaspor"
Having finished fifth last season, the "Bursaspor" team sold several key players in the summer and the newcomers they acquired have not lived up to the expectations so far. Having already lost ten times, the team currently holds the fourteenth position in Turkey, and such results are unsatisfactory for both the club officials and the fans. This summer, Ertugrul Saglam was appointed as the coach and was fired before December, and the club is still looking for a new manager who could improve the current situation. The temporary coach Ersel Uzgur failed to improve the team's results, and in both matches under his guidance, "Bursaspor" lost by defeating margins.
Top scorer: Samuel Eto'o
After an unsuccessful season in Italy, Eto'o joined the ambitious "Antalyaspor" club in the summer and has shown that he can still play top-level football. The striker has already scored 13 goals this season and has not left a match without a goal in the last eight consecutive games. The excellent performance of the Cameroonian helps the newcomers of the Turkish league to reach the ninth place in the "Super Lig" championship.
Among the top scorers are also other well-known names - Mario Gomez and Rodallega, both scoring ten goals, while Lukas Podolski also ranks among the top ten championship goal scorers with seven accurate shots.
Lithuanian players: Žydrūnas Karčemarskas
This year marks the start of the seventh season in Turkey for Karčemarskas, who has represented the same "Gaziantepspor" club all these years. The 32-year-old Lithuanian goalkeeper has defended his team's goal in all matches this season, conceding a total of 23 goals. He managed to keep his goal "clean" four times, and the goalkeeper's team currently holds the eleventh position after fifteen rounds.
Lithuanian players: Ernestas Šetkus
Unlike Karčemarskas, Šetkus only moved to Turkey this year. However, that did not prevent the goalkeeper from immediately becoming the main player in the team. The 30-year-old also played all 15 games and conceded 21 goals throughout them. Šetkus did not concede goals in three matches, but his team, "Sivasspor," where the Lithuanian plays, is performing slightly worse - they hold the fifteenth position in the Turkish league.
Istanbul derby: "Besiktas" against "Galatasaray"
Today, the fifteenth round of the "Super Lig" will end with an intriguing derby between the "Besiktas" and "Galatasaray" teams. These matches are important for both teams due to the situation in the Turkish championship - a victory for "Besiktas" would lift them to first place, while "Galatasaray" would move to third position.
Even those who are not interested in the Turkish league should watch these matches. The match is expected to be intense and of a very good level, and in this meeting, you will see many familiar faces - Ricardo Quaresma and Mario Gomez in "Besiktas," and Wesley Sneijder and Lukas Podolski in the "Galatasaray" team. The timing of the match is perfect for football fans - it will start at 8:00 p.m. At that time, matches in the strongest European leagues will not be played, and the match will end before the start of today's "Premier League" and "Serie A" matches.
Current standings of the Turkish league:
Tautvydas Sakalauskas
