Its match day 2 of the Turkish Cup group stages tomorrow as Ankaragucu host Sivas 4 Eylul at the 19 Mayis Stadium. On paper Sivas are the weakest team in the group which includes Istanbul Basaksehir and Karabukspor. However the Lig 3 team have had an impressive journey in the cup so far and will even go into the match as favourites.
Victories over 1461 Trabzon, Sanliurfaspor, and Erzincan saw Sivas book their place in the group stages. On match day 1 they defeated Karabukspor 2-1 and showed they are not here just to make up the numbers. Sivas sit 3rd in Lig 3 and are looking to win promotion this season as well as their impressive cup run.
The contrast between Sivas and Ankaragucu couldn't be more different, as Ankaragucu are in a relegation battle and have even bigger problems off the field. The club could be weeks away from a point deduction from Fifa due to unpaid wages, and even worse the club could cease to exist if they don't find investment after the congress in January.
One player on the Sivas team who will know what it takes to beat this Ankaragucu team is Omer Emir the former Ankaragucu midfielder who signed for the club in the summer. The 20 year old was tipped to break into the Ankaragucu team this season, but instead was given a free transfer.
Mustafa Kaplan will be looking for his players to put up a similar performance to what we saw against Istanbul Basaksehir where we lost 3-2. Despite the defeat it was a spirited performance but for a defensive mix up in the last minute Ankaragucu could have been walking away with a share of the points.
Make no mistake Sivas will be coming to Ankara looking to take the 3 points back home. If Ankaragucu play the way they have been in the league then it will be no contest. Will Mustafa Kaplan drop his under performing duds, or will he stay loyal to them with the hope their is a big performance in them?
This could be the last time Gokhan Akkan, Umut Nayir, Hasan Ayaroglu and Onur Atasayer play at the 19 Mayis Stadium with the transfer window opening. If that is to be the case, lets hope they leave on a positive note and give the small crowd something to cheer about.
Absolutely spot-on Nadeem. Today will be a day for restoring pride and .......... taking 3 points into the Karabuk match to come.
ReplyDeleteAs I said on fb this morning, it's a 3.30pm KO and the match will be shown live on Channel A Spor. I'm planning to be home for the 2nd half so I'll give a brief run-down of my impressions of that half of the match.
C'mon Ankaragucu, make it a Merry Christmas !!!