Troubled Beşiktaş hosts Fenerbahçe

Defending league champion Beşiktaş will host current leader Fenerbahçe Saturday night at İnönü Stadium, hoping to extend its winning streak and reduce the gap with the rival.

Beşiktaş made a sloppy start to the season, wining only one of its first six games. But since a 1-0 home loss to Kayserispor on Sept. 19, the team has won six in a row, including a default win over Ankaraspor, to sit in the third place in standings with 24 points, seven points behind leader Fenerbahçe.

Despite increasing its performance in the league, Beşiktaş supporters have turned against the club and especially chairman Yıldırım Demirören. Whether the team wins or loses, the chanting remains the same: “Resign Demirören.”

As a counter attack, Demirören said “the stands will be cleaned” after a home game against Wolfsburg in the Champions League, when the supporters chanted abusive words asking for the chairman’s resignation. As a result, 36 Beşiktaş supporters, including Alen Markaryan, the famous leader of supporter group Çarşı, were banned for one year from attending any sports events.

The club announced Friday that police and private security officers will check the identity cards of spectators to stop the banned supporters from entering the stadium.

The home fans are also expected to give hard time to Fenerbahçe midfielder Mehmet Topuz. Topuz’s off-season transfer from Kayserispor created a fierce fight between the two Istanbul clubs.

Beşiktaş seemed like the victor in early June when the club announced that Topuz signed a preliminary contract with the club. “I have always been a Beşiktaş fan, no power could take me to Fenerbahçe,” said Topuz when the story hit the media.

But apparently there was a force, because just in a few days, Topuz had signed a contract with Fenerbahçe and started practice sessions with the team. Of course, playing at Fenerbahçe was “my childhood dream.”

A victory against Fenerbahçe will probably not help Beşiktaş make peace with its fans, but the team desperately needs the three points to stay in the title competition. However, the numbers are not on the home team’s side: Beşiktaş has not won a Fenerbahçe game in four-and-a-half years and has lost the last four games against its rival at İnönü.

Fenerbahçe, on the other hand, will be determined to extend its lead over Beşiktaş to 10 points to push it out of the title race. The club has won 10 of its 12 games to have a three-point lead over second-placed Galatasaray.

The match also sees Fenerbahçe boss Christoph Daum return to a former stamping ground. The 56 year old coached Beşiktaş from 1993 to 1996, winning the cup in 1994 and the league in 1995, and is a self-confessed admirer of the current lineup.

“Beşiktaş plays good football, and I’m not just talking about results. If you analyze the way they play, they’re exceptionally well-organized," the German said.

The game kicks off at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Lig TV.