Ankaragucu vs Fenerbahce - Match Preview!

 

Hikmet Karaman has performed miracles since returning to Ankaragucu back in February with the club rooted to the bottom of the table. Since then he has revitalised the club bringing organisation and a real togetherness that was missing. The last couple of weeks have been very challenging with only 1 win in their last 6 games. Can Hikmet galvinise the squad again for the remaining 3 games and pull off one of the biggest miracles in the clubs history?

Whatever the outcome, Hikmet Karaman has done a fantastic job and Ankaragucu fans can only wish he was installed back at the start of the season. This is an example of 2 more big mistakes by Faruk Koca and the management team who instead went with Fuat Capa, and then Mustafa Dalci as his replacement. 

Koca along with the transfer committee will take the majority of responsibility for the position Ankaragucu are in at the moment. The club have made too many bad signings, and loan signings that have failed to deliver consistent performances. 

We have 2 Goalkeepers with neither able to make the Number 1 position their own due to the many mistakes. Kitsiou has been very consistent at Right back but was signed under the old regime, as was Thiago Pinto. The only consistent centre back this season has been Zvonimir Sarlija but he still has games where he is more interested in diving and acting than defending. The new signings in that area of the pitch Erdi Dikmen and Alperen have failed to prove worthy signings.

In midfield we have Voca and Assane who have played more games as substitutes than games started, Sahverdi Cetin who came to the club highly rated looks well out of shape and struggled in the matches he has been given an opportunity. Wide players such as Orkan Cinar and Geraldo show flashes' of skill but offer nothing in terms of assists or goals and have 0 between them. 

Jonathan Bolingi had his loan deal cut short in January that bad was his spell with the club. So many poor signings with not enough good ones that we can look at as a good investment where the club can make money if they decide to sell. 

Saturday night is another huge night for Ankaragucu as they look to cause an upset against Fenerbahce who are 4 points behind leaders Besiktas with 2 games remaining. The last time the 2 sides met Fenerbahce were too good for Ankaragucu on the day with a convincing 3-1 win. Ankaragucu will however take encouragement that they did win 2-1 at home last season and will be hoping for a similar outcome. 

Fenerbahce have some quality players in their side such as Jose Sosa, Ozan Tufan, Mesut Ozil, Dimitris Pelkas, Irfan Can Kahveci and of course our very own Altay Bayindr, but no Turkish Super Lig team is unbeatable and if Ankaragucu play to their best and have some luck on their side we can take the 3 points. 

Early team news has been difficult to come by as the Ankaragucu official website has only been updated once since last week and that is in regards to the upcoming AGM.

Aliou Badji is set to return which will be a big boost to the team having a striker to call upon again. Unfortunately it looks like Borven is out again as he continues his recovery. Atakan Cankaya will be available for selection. We are still waiting on an update in regards to Ibrahim Akdag and Geraldo.

Possible Team

Goalkeeper - You could toss a coin to decide who plays in goal between Korcan and Freidrich. It would be nice to see Mert Topuz given his opportunity but its unlikely Hikmet Karaman will throw in a youngster for his Debut in such an important match.

RB - Kitsiou - Made a big mistake last week which is unlike him. He will be looking to make up for that mistake with another big performance.

CB - Sarlija - Last couple of games he hasnt been at his best, he needs to concentrate on defending instead of throwing himself to the ground. He is a big boy and acts like a mouse. He is more than capable of delivering quality performances. 

CB - Kulusic - Pazdan sadly looks finished and Erdi has failed to take any chances he has had. Leaves Kulusic to partner Sarlija. 

LB - Thiago Pinto - Should slot back in at his preferred Left back position as the combination of Atilla at LB and Thiago further forward has never worked. 

CM - Ibrahim - If Ibrahim is fit he will start, he has been an important player in that defensive midfield position. If he doesnt make it then Lukasik will start. 

CM - Endri - My only criticism of Endri is his finishing. He gets into good positions but wastes any chances that comes his way. He just needs to relax and take those chances. The rest of his overall play has been good. 

CM - Alper Potuk - He has been outstanding for Ankaragucu and is the key player who can get them out of this situation. He will be hoping to get one over his former team at the weekend. 

LW - Paintsil - We just need the good Paintsil to turn up. He is another important player for the club but needs to be unselfish and disciplined. 

RW - Saba - Was very poor against Basaksehir but that was his first game back from injury. We really need Saba to step up and give us a good performance as its been a while since we seen one. 

CF - Badji - Should return to the starting line up after injury and will be a welcome addition. He adds that physical presence up front that has been missing.