Turkish SupremacyBy David Hein
They are two of the most storied franchises in Turkish football. And they make up two-thirds of the Istanbul dominance in the Turkish Super L league. On Sunday, Super L leader Fenerbahce plays host to city rival Besiktas, which is facing a mini-crisis after three straight games without a victory have it placed fourth, six points behind Fenerbahce. The game in Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in the Turkish metropolis is hardly just a local derby. It's a showdown which has plenty of meaning on the standings. Brazilian coach Zico's Fenerbahce side sits atop with 27 points, four ahead of Manisaspor. Two points further back is reigning champion Galatasaray -- the third of the top Istanbul clubs -- and Besiktas. Play in the FREE $15,000 NFL Betting Handicapping Contest every week all season long! Put your bankroll over the TOP and sign-up now at SBG Global!Join SBG Global and start winning CASH today! Setting the industry standards with fast, free, secure and reliable deposit and withdrawl options, for over a decade SBG Global has been the World's most respected Online Sportsbook, Online Casino, Poker Room and Racebook! With up to 265% in total Bonuses for this 2011-2012 NFL Season, sign up to SBGGLOBAL.COM for their Unmatched Bonuses and Phenomenal Customer Service right now!! Manisaspor has a tough road test on Saturday against fifth-placed Kayserispor (19 points), while Galatasaray travels to struggling promoted side Antalyaspor (14 points). Fenerbahce comes into the showdown as a -$137 WagerWeb.com favorite with a draw going at +200. And Zico's troops are talking like they're supposed to win. "We will brush aside Besiktas and show our opponents that we are the only team that can win the title," Fenerbahce midfielder Alex said. Zico was somewhat less bold after seeing his team play to a scoreless draw last week at relegation zone side Sakaryaspor: "We're on the right track. Everybody's on board, and the players are really excited about this derby." The Besiktas match also starts a tough stretch for Fenerbahce, which hosts Palermo in the UEFA Cup, plays at Trabzonspor and on the road in the UEFA Cup against Celta Vigo before its city derby against Galatasaray. "We're facing the weeks of truth right now. And we don't want to falter in one of these games," club president Aziz Yildirim said. Besiktas, meanwhile, hopes to find its way out of a downward spiral. After three games without a victory, pressure is mounting on coach Jean Tigana. "With a victory we can silence all of our critics. We're being stamped as outsiders. But we will come up with a great surprise," said Tigana, who has been given a show of support from Besiktas management despite a 1-0 home loss last week against Sivasspor. Besiktas fans are starting to get restless and even whistled against Tigana and cheered for his removal, with Turkish media speculating that Donezk coach Mircea Lecescu will be his replacement in the winter break "I can still sleep because I know that our situation isn't as bad as the media makes it out to be," Tigana said. "I understand the fans. But we're dominating every game we play. We are just missing that last punch in front of the goal. We are leaving goals unscored, and it's starting to get on the players' nerves. And they're playing more nervous instead of believing in themselves." Fenerbahce has scored at least four goals in all of its five home victories. But Besiktas has collected five victories in its past 10 games at Fenerbahce. "Fenerbahce fits us well. They are tough at home, but they always look bad against us. On Sunday we will end our current crisis with a success," Besiktas president Yildirim Demiroren said. --- by WagerWeb at 1800-sports.com on November 20, 2006
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