Before we preview this weekends match against Denizlispor, a bit of an update on the Emre Tasdemir transfer to Bursaspor. The youngster is at the centre of a transfer tug of war between Bursa, Trabzonspor and Galatasaray. Earlier this week it looked like he was on his way to Bursaspor in a 500,000 TL move. But according to Klasspor it is believed that both Trabzonspor and Galatasaray have offered him a more attractive package. More to follow.
Back to the match between Ankaragucu and Denizlispor. Two seasons ago both clubs were in the Turkish Super Lig, that year Denizlispor were relegated with Ankaragucu following them into the PTT League the season after. In the two times they met in the Super Lig that season, Ankaragucu won 1-0 at home thanks to a Baki Mercimek goal, while the return game in Denizli finished 0-0.
Times have changed with both teams coming into financial difficulty. Both teams have a strong following and are clubs who really should be in the Super Lig. The game will be played in Denizli on Saturday afternoon 1600 Turkish Time, 1400 UK Time. You can see the full game on TRT Web TV.
Like Ankaragucu, the visitors are on a 4 match unbeaten run as they look to stay clear of the relegation zone. In the last couple of weeks the teams at the bottom have started to pick up points putting pressure on the clubs above them. Former Ankaragucu Goalkeeper Zafer Ozgultekin is part of the Denizli squad whose star players include Ismail Odabasi, former Inverness Caley Thistle Striker Eric Odhiambo, and finally former Rangers striker Bajram Fetai who used to come into my shop in Glasgow.
Since his arrival Mustafa Kaplan has took 6 points from a possible 12 which is good going for a club sitting bottom of the league. Added to that a fantastic performance against Besiktas in the cup, he really has Ankaragucu playing some good football whilst adding steel to the defence. Again Ankaragucu will look for big performances from the likes of Umit Kurt, Timur Ozgoz and the Erdogan brothers. As Damon said in his report last week, Kaan Kanak has been very impressive of late and hopefully he can continue.
Like every match Ankaragucu play this season, it will be a tough 90 minutes, if they can show the same discipline and determination they showed last week in the 2-1 win over Rize then there is no reason why we cant bring 3 points back to Ankara. This is Ankaragucu we are talking about though and you never know what to expect.
Staying unbeaten and maintaining the momentum is the priority. However, if they can win 3 points against Denizli it will be a giant leap forward and set the team up nicely for the big-push in the 2nd half of the season.
ReplyDeleteAgreed Jim, the 3 points would be a huge boost going into january. With the winter break coming up as well it will give the team confidence going into the second half of the season
ReplyDeleteBugra confirmed tonight that Emre Tasdemir is on his way to Trabzonspor
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