The regular 2011-12 Spor Toto Super League season will end for Kardemir Karabükspor and visiting Beşiktaş after their week 34 finale at Karabüks Yeni Stadium on Friday evening.
Perennial Super League title contender Beşiktaş has been all over the place this season. The Black Eagles, as Beşiktaş is also called, have already been eliminated from the UEFA Europa League and also the Ziraat Turkish Cup.
Moreover, their chances in the Super Final, the championship playoffs that begin on April 16, are as flimsy as gossamer because they trail leader Galatasaray by 20 points. To further elucidate, the playoffs will not begin at zero, but the total number of points earned by each of the four teams by the end of the regular season will be divided by two. Therefore, the team with the most points stands a better chance of winning the Super Final and becoming champion.
Championship looks like mission impossible
The Eagles overtaking runaway leader Galatasaray, winning the Super League championship and playing in the UEFA Champions League proper next season is now something akin to mission impossible.
However, Beşiktaş still has a chance to finish second in the Super Final and earn a berth in the Champions League qualifiers, or third and qualify for the Europa League, or fourth and square off with the winner of the Europa League playoffs, involving teams that finish fifth to eighth, for a berth in the second-tier European competition.
Beşiktaş has elected Fikret Orman as chairman in place of Yıldırım Demirören, who is now president of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF). The club also brought former coach Tayfur Havutçu back to the helm and sent Portuguese interim trainer Carlos Carvalhal packing.
The Eagles, it seems, will undergo a serious reorganization under the new chairman, and therefore, the team needs to play in Europe for the reorganization to have any meaning.
Beşiktaş is still plagued by injuries. Injured keeper Cenk Gönen, German midfielder Fabian Ernst as well as striker Mustafa Pektemek missed practice sessions this week. Portugal winger Simao Sabrosa sprained his ankle during Wednesdays training and is therefore doubtful on Friday.
Inconsistent and injury-prone Portugal playmaker Ricardo Quaresma trained separately from the team this week, as did walking wounded İsmail Köybaşı.
Beşiktaş may be down but is not yet out, and it appears the Eagles may be saving their best for the playoffs. Coach Havutçu concurred: Last year, we proved to friends and foes alike what Beşiktaş is capable of doing. In the upcoming matches [playoffs], we will also prove to all of Turkey what this team is capable of doing.
And Havutçu is even more upbeat now since the club on Wednesday night extended his contract to the end of the upcoming 2012-13 season.
Korkmaz drags Karabük out of quagmire
When coach Bülent Korkmaz joined Kardemir Karabükspor on Nov. 10 of last year in place of Yücel İldiz, who had called it quits two days earlier, the Black Sea side was third from last with only eight points from two wins, two draws and seven defeats in 11 outings.
The Black Sea side looked like a sure goner. But under the tutelage of Korkmaz, which means fearless in Turkish, Kardemir Karabükspor currently sits comfortably in 11th place in the 18-team standings with a total of 43 points from 33 games.
The team is not in any way threatened by relegation and is dead sure to continue in topflight Turkish football next season.
Last season, we finished with 44 points, and if we beat Beşiktaş, we will end this season with 46 points -- and thats a target, Korkmaz said. It wont be easy, but we want to capitalize on our fan support.
Kickoff is at 8 p.m., and the referee will be Mete Kalkavan.
today's zaman
Perennial Super League title contender Beşiktaş has been all over the place this season. The Black Eagles, as Beşiktaş is also called, have already been eliminated from the UEFA Europa League and also the Ziraat Turkish Cup.
Moreover, their chances in the Super Final, the championship playoffs that begin on April 16, are as flimsy as gossamer because they trail leader Galatasaray by 20 points. To further elucidate, the playoffs will not begin at zero, but the total number of points earned by each of the four teams by the end of the regular season will be divided by two. Therefore, the team with the most points stands a better chance of winning the Super Final and becoming champion.
Championship looks like mission impossible
The Eagles overtaking runaway leader Galatasaray, winning the Super League championship and playing in the UEFA Champions League proper next season is now something akin to mission impossible.
However, Beşiktaş still has a chance to finish second in the Super Final and earn a berth in the Champions League qualifiers, or third and qualify for the Europa League, or fourth and square off with the winner of the Europa League playoffs, involving teams that finish fifth to eighth, for a berth in the second-tier European competition.
Beşiktaş has elected Fikret Orman as chairman in place of Yıldırım Demirören, who is now president of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF). The club also brought former coach Tayfur Havutçu back to the helm and sent Portuguese interim trainer Carlos Carvalhal packing.
The Eagles, it seems, will undergo a serious reorganization under the new chairman, and therefore, the team needs to play in Europe for the reorganization to have any meaning.
Beşiktaş is still plagued by injuries. Injured keeper Cenk Gönen, German midfielder Fabian Ernst as well as striker Mustafa Pektemek missed practice sessions this week. Portugal winger Simao Sabrosa sprained his ankle during Wednesdays training and is therefore doubtful on Friday.
Inconsistent and injury-prone Portugal playmaker Ricardo Quaresma trained separately from the team this week, as did walking wounded İsmail Köybaşı.
Beşiktaş may be down but is not yet out, and it appears the Eagles may be saving their best for the playoffs. Coach Havutçu concurred: Last year, we proved to friends and foes alike what Beşiktaş is capable of doing. In the upcoming matches [playoffs], we will also prove to all of Turkey what this team is capable of doing.
And Havutçu is even more upbeat now since the club on Wednesday night extended his contract to the end of the upcoming 2012-13 season.
Korkmaz drags Karabük out of quagmire
When coach Bülent Korkmaz joined Kardemir Karabükspor on Nov. 10 of last year in place of Yücel İldiz, who had called it quits two days earlier, the Black Sea side was third from last with only eight points from two wins, two draws and seven defeats in 11 outings.
The Black Sea side looked like a sure goner. But under the tutelage of Korkmaz, which means fearless in Turkish, Kardemir Karabükspor currently sits comfortably in 11th place in the 18-team standings with a total of 43 points from 33 games.
The team is not in any way threatened by relegation and is dead sure to continue in topflight Turkish football next season.
Last season, we finished with 44 points, and if we beat Beşiktaş, we will end this season with 46 points -- and thats a target, Korkmaz said. It wont be easy, but we want to capitalize on our fan support.
Kickoff is at 8 p.m., and the referee will be Mete Kalkavan.
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