Fenerbahce, Sivasspor Both Motivated for Saturday

Fenerbahce, Sivasspor Both Motivated for Saturday
By Nathan L. Redd

On paper, Fenerbahce vs. Sivasspor doesn't look like a crucial match for either team. However, both teams come into Saturday's game with lots of motivation and much to play for. Both teams have only three points going into week three, but Sivas has only one full game under their belts. Their season opener against Trabonzonspor was marred by violence when Trabzon's Egyptian defender Ayman Abdelaziz and Sivasspor's Israeli striker Pini Balili got into a scuffle. After fans began to rush the pitch, the referee called the game early with neither team earning a result.

Sivasspor rebounded last week with a 2-1 win over Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediyespor; the same team that defeated Fenerbahce 2-0 in their season opener. Sivasspor is looking to evaluate their squad since they've had less time on the pitch than the other Super Lig teams. Fenerbahce Manager Zico is still defining his lineup after a benching of the starting eleven in last week's win over Gaziantepspor. Zico has kept his plans to himself much of this week, not revealing Saturday's anticipated lineup just yet. The Gaziantepspor game gave Fener reserves some crucial playing time, and they took advantage of it. Kemal Aslan, Semih Senturk, and Colin Kazim-Richards all stood out in last week's match.

Fenerbahce and Sivasspor will play the first match of the weekend in the Turkcell Super Lig. Kickoff is 18:45 (11:45 AM EST in the U.S.) from Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Kadikoy. The game is available online at www.digiturkwebtv.com for $9.95.

Firat Aydinus will be the match referee, with Zafer Onder, Serkan Ok, and Muhittin Gurses as his assistants.