Football: Istanbul rivals square off in league clash
Fresh from Champions League drama, Besiktas take on Turkish league leaders Medipol Basaksehir at home
File photo
By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun
ANKARA
On Saturday, the Turkish Spor Toto Super Lig's two undefeated teams will square off in Istanbul as front-runners Medipol Basaksehir travel to city rivals Besiktas at 7 p.m. (GMT1600).
The league's 12th week kicked off with two matches Friday, Galatasaray beating Bursaspor 3-1 to avoid a three-game losing streak.
Already hurt by Medipol Basaksehir and Fenerbahce losses in the past two weeks, the Lions started the match poorly and conceded a goal in only the 14th minute.
Galatasaray got the equalizer in the 32nd minute, with a sharp passing by Wesley Sneijder and Lukas Podolski which found winger Yasin Oztekin.
In the second half, the Istanbul powerhouse dominated the match, with Sneijder scoring from a free-kick and striker Eren Derdiyok finishing a counter-attack.
Galatasaray increased their points total to 23 and moved to third place, but city rivals Fenerbahce can claim their spot back with a win over Caykur Rizespor on Sunday.
Bursaspor, meanwhile, dropped to fifth place with 21 points.
In the other match of the day, Aytemiz Alanyaspor defeated Kayserispor 3-0.
Here is the schedule for the rest of the 12th week in Turkish Spor Toto Super Lig:
Saturday - November 26
Karabukspor v Gaziantepspor
Akhisar Belediyespor v Kasimpasa
Antalyaspor v Adanaspor
Besiktas v Medipol Basaksehir
Sunday - November 27
Genclerbirligi v Trabzonspor
Caykur Rizespor v Fenerbahce
Monday - November 28
Atiker Konyaspor v Osmanlispor FK
Standings as of Saturday, 11.00 a.m. (GMT0800):
St. | Teams | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts. |
1 | Medipol Basaksehir | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 7 | 29 |
2 | Besiktas | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 9 | 27 |
3 | Galatasaray | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 11 | 23 |
4 | Fenerbahce | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 10 | 21 |
5 | Bursaspor | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 10 | 21 |
6 | Atiker Konyaspor | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 14 | 11 | 16 |
7 | Osmanlispor FK | 11 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 13 | 11 | 15 |
8 | Genclerbirligi | 11 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 8 | 14 |
9 | Karabukspor | 11 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 18 | 14 |
10 | Aytemiz Alanyaspor | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 14 |
11 | Kasimpasa | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 19 | 12 |
12 | Antalyaspor | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 15 | 12 |
13 | Gaziantepspor | 11 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 17 | 11 |
14 | Trabzonspor | 11 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 15 | 11 |
15 | Caykur Rizespor | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 17 | 10 |
16 | Akhisar Bld. | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 10 |
17 | Kayserispor | 12 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 22 | 9 |
18 | Adanaspor | 11 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 6 |
