By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun
ANKARA
Week 12 of the Turkish Super Lig begins Friday evening with Besiktas taking on Akhisar at Istanbul's Vodafone Park.
Reigning champions Besiktas, after beating Goztepe 3-1 in their last league match, aim for a back-to-back win.
They are currently in third place, five points behind leaders Galatasaray.
The match will start at 8 p.m. local time (1700GMT).
On Saturday, the weekend's most anticipated match will pit leaders Galatasaray against second-place Basaksehir, which are three points behind the leaders.
The match at Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium will kick off at 7.30 p.m. local time (1630GMT).
On Sunday, Fenerbahce will take on Sivasspor in Sivas, hoping to end a streak of three draws.
The seventh-place Istanbul club spent last week mired in drama as manager Aykut Kocaman failed to answer management's calls after a draw against Osmanlispor, fueling resignation speculations.
Here is the full schedule for 12th match week:
Here are the standings before the start of 12th match week:
| Teams | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | ||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | Points | ||
| 1. | GALATASARAY | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 26 | 9 | 17 | 26 |
| 2. | BASAKSEHIR | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 23 |
| 3. | BESIKTAS | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 19 | 12 | 7 | 21 |
| 4. | KAYSERISPOR | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 13 | 4 | 19 |
| 5. | SIVASSPOR | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 15 | 2 | 19 |
| 6. | BURSASPOR | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 22 | 15 | 7 | 17 |
| 7. | FENERBAHCE | 11 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 21 | 16 | 5 | 17 |
| 8. | GOZTEPE | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 22 | 21 | 1 | 17 |
| 9. | AKHISARSPOR | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 18 | 19 | -1 | 17 |
| 10. | ALANYASPOR | 11 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 24 | 22 | 2 | 14 |
| 11. | YENI MALATYASPOR | 11 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 19 | -3 | 14 |
| 12. | TRABZONSPOR | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 23 | -4 | 13 |
| 13. | KASIMPASA | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 21 | -3 | 12 |
| 14. | ANTALYASPOR | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 20 | -7 | 12 |
| 15. | KONYASPOR | 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 15 | -4 | 10 |
| 16. | KARABUKSPOR | 11 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 19 | -7 | 8 |
| 17. | OSMANLISPOR | 11 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 14 | 22 | -8 | 8 |
| 18. | GENCLERBIRLIGI | 11 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 26 | -13 | 8 |
