Alanya, Adana Demirspor to clash for final Super League ticket

Alanyaspor finished third in the PTT First League, while Adana Demirspor was fourth. In the two-leg playoff semifinals, Alanyaspor knocked out Balıkesirspor, while a goal in the dying minutes of the second leg against Elazığspor carried the Adana club to the final.

Adana Demirspor’s city rival, Adanaspor, and Black Sea side Karabükspor booked their places in the Super League by finishing in the top two.

Adana Demirspor is no stranger to the playoff competitions, but it has failed in all three previous attempts to book a top league ticket.

“This team has been hurt three times in the playoffs, we will play the fourth; may Allah forbid a fifth one,” said Demirspor coach Yılmaz Vural.

Vural, who has coached more than 20 Super League and First League clubs in his peripatetic career, said his side is one game way from ending a 21-year hiatus without top league action.

“We want to win and get our well-deserved place in the Super League. It will be great to play the Adana derbies at that level,” Yılmaz said. 

Adana Demirspor chairman Sedat Sözlü said Adanaspor’s promotion had created some pressure on the club.
“The environment of rivalry is pressuring our community; everybody wants to be successful,” said Sözlü. “I once again congratulate Adanaspor. Hopefully, we will also win promotion and play our derbies in the Super League.”

Alanyaspor, on the other hand, is seeking to gain entry to Turkey’s top league for the first time in its history.
Having lost to Samsunspor in last season’s playoffs, the club from the popular Mediterranean resort town has no room for failure this time.

“We are now in the final,” Alanyaspor coach Hüseyin Kalpar said after his side beat Balıkesirspor 1-0 on May 23 to advance to the final. “We do not want to repeat the mistakes we did in this match, so that we win the final to get our place in the Super League.”

The game will kick off at 7 p.m. and be broadcast live on TRT Spor.