Can Besiktas end away day woes in Saturday's trip to Fener?

12 games into the Turkish Super Lig season, we are beginning to formulate a reasonably accurate picture of each team. Their strengths and weaknesses have made themselves evident over the season so far and, over a third of the way in, as the weather begins to grow colder, the jostling at the top of the league table is resolutely heating up.   

Istanbul Baskasehir still lead on 30 points, but Besiktas are just two behind on 28, and Fenerbahce follow them on 24, with Galatasaray on 23. It is this context that Besiktas travel to Fenerbahce this weekend, the last top-four paring yet to play each other this season and the only remaining couple of Istanbul clubs to face off.  

Istanbul derbies of any variety are weighty, but the pairing between Fenerbahce and Besiktas is often overshadowed by the Intercontinental Derby. Yet in the last couple of seasons, as Galatasaray’s power has waned, the matches between Fenerbahce and Besiktas have become crucial in determining the destination of the Super Lig trophy. This season, the added complication of Istanbul Baskasehir makes the match even more important. For Besiktas, a defeat, coupled with an Istanbul Baskasehir win against Antalyaspor, would leave them five points off the top, behind a team that have not lost in their last 21 league games. For Fenerbahce, though, a win would finally bring them into the title reckoning after some damaging early months.  

Defeat for either side is largely unthinkable, but for Fenerbahce or Besiktas to come away as winners, long-running unbeaten spells will need to be overturned. Fenerbahce’s form, both in their recent games and against Besiktas historically, is formidable. They have won each of their last five league games, remaining unbeaten in 28 our of their last 29 home games, only losing one out of the last 10 home matches against Besiktas. Yet Besiktas, meanwhile, are the champions, are ahead of Fenerbahce in the league and are unbeaten in their last 12 leagues. Something special will be required if the game is to be turned in favour of either team.  

The apparent deadlock between the two teams increases the gravity of a possible winning goal. On current form, Fenerbahce returnee Moussa Sow appears the man most capable of edging a result. Sow is a cult hero at Fenerbahce, serenaded by the crowd before home games. His over-head kick in the Europa League match with Manchester United has prompted the club to produce a number of replica shirts, with Sow’s name and number placed upside-down. A hat-trick and a WhoScored rating of 9.26 in the last Super Lig game, a 5-1 win over Rizespor, suggests Sow is the player most in form. His ability will be crucial in alleviating for the injury to Jeremain Lens, Fenerbahce’s most impressive player this season, with an overall WhoScored rating of 7.57.  

Besiktas are also hampered by injury problems. Their highest rated player this season, Anderson Talisca (7.59), is not training with the squad due to injury, while Rhodolfo and Dusko Tosic have had recent injury problems, reducing the effectiveness of their defence. Yet Besiktas are blessed with something that many Fenerbahce fans wish they still had. Over the summer, as Fenerbahce went about restructuring their squad, they lost right-back Gokhan Gonul, who moved to Besiktas after nine years at the club. This match provides Gonul with his first return to Kadikoy, something that has weighed heavily in the thoughts of the Turkish press this week.  

Writing in the newspaper Hurriyet, former goalkeeper Rustu Recber, who also moved to Besiktas after years at Fenerbahce, expressed support for Gonul. Recber said he “felt strange” and “experienced great emotional intensity” on his first return with Besiktas but indicated that he did not “encounter a negative reaction”. It is unlikely Gonul will be afforded such sympathy, as even the online comments under Recber’s piece demonstrate. 

The talk around Gonul, though providing a viscerally-charged element to the game, distracts from the real importance of the fixture. Both sides have to win. Yet only one can and perhaps neither will. Whatever outcome is reached, the Super Lig table will move once step closer to its full picture. Across town, Istanbul Baskasehir will be watching on with keen intent.