Fenerbahce-Galatasaray: Can Gheorghe Hagi’s Lions Stop The Free-Scoring Yellow Canaries?

While there are many reasons to watch Sunday’s match between Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray, most football fans need just one: this game is one of the biggest and best derbies in all of football.

With eight weeks gone in the Süper Lig, many were ready to exclude the Istanbul clubs from the title race- a not insignificant development, considering in the 53 years of the league’s history, a club from the capital has won the title 45 times. But last year Bursaspor took first place-and the league’s automatic Champion’s League berth-and have yet to lose in the league this season. Meanwhile, Galatasaray are in ninth, Beşiktaş are in seventh, and Fenerbahçe have moved in to fourth.

But even if Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray were sitting squarely in midtable, with no chance to win a trophy, this derby would still be one of the most intense matchups of the year. This match marks the 366th time the two clubs have met, with home side Fenerbahçe just barely leading Galatasaray in wins - although Gala have been the club more successful in European competition. While both teams play in Istanbul, their homes are on different sides of the Bosphorus, which marks the boundary between Europe and Asia. Galatasaray are located on the European side of the divide, Fenerbahçe on the Asian side. Historically Fener are the club of the working class, with the rich and famous supporting Gala, but nowadays the Yellow Canaries also have their share of financial backers.

Galatasaray manager Frank Rijkaard left the club earlier this week, after his contract was terminated by “mutual consent.” Considering the Lions recorded four losses in eight games under the former Barcelona manager, that mutuality seems slightly suspect. Romanian Gheorghe Hagi, a former Gala player, will be the man leading the club into the derby. As the club hasn’t won at the Şükrü Saracoğlu since 1999, Galatasaray emerging victorious would be a brilliant way to start his tenure there.

Fenerbahçe certainly aren’t going to make it easy on the visitors - and they’ll be relying on the supporters to help discomfit Galatasaray. Fener center back Diego Lugano says, “We want the fans to come to the game and turn the stadium into hell, like they always do,” so that Fenerbahçe can respond with a win. Fener are coming off an impressive win at Konyaspor, dominating almost the entire match and leaving the home side with a 1-4 defeat. That’s three wins straight for Fenerbahçe and, more impressively, makes thirteen goals in three matches, with the Canaries conceding just three. Should Gala want to shut down their rivals, they’ll need to keep an eye on nearly every player on the pitch - although Fener’s 6-2 victory over Kasımpaşa required the work of just three men, the Konyaspor match featured four different goal-scorers, only one of whom had scored in the past two matches.