The Intercontinental Derby

Sports fans' yearning for football will come to an end this weekend with the start of the new Trendyol Süper Lig season.

Defending champion Galatasaray has made the most ambitious signings of the summer, while Fenerbahçe has assembled a star-studded squad to put an end to its longing for trophies.

Turkish Süper Lig champion Galatasaray ended the season on a high on June 4 night, when it beat archrival Fenerbahçe 3-0 in front of a packed stadium.

The win set the perfect scene for the celebrations to mark the Istanbul club's record 23rd league title.

Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, which clashed in an Istanbul derby over the weekend, appear on the European stage again on Nov. 25 when the former hosts Marseille in Istanbul and the latter visits Olympiacos in the Europa League.

Nov. 21's derby pitted the two teams against each other, with the visiting side Fenerbahçe claiming a 2-1 victory with a late goal.

Following the international break, football fans in Turkey eye the coming intercontinental derby between Istanbul's fierce rivals, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, on Nov. 21.

The two teams are now quite far from the top of the league, so both need a victory to grip the title race in the Turkish Spor Toto Süper Lig.

Fenerbahçe managed to get a 2-2 draw against Yukatel Kayserispor with a last minute goal in the Turkish Süper Lig week 12 game on Nov. 7.

Irfan Can Kahveci missed the chance to take the lead for Fenerbahçe as he could not score a penalty in the 33rd minute.

But Kayserispor drew first blood with Dimitrios Kolovetsios' goal in the 39th minute.

Fenerbahçe has been grabbed by troubles early in the season and will play a crucial game on Oct. 30 when it visits Konyaspor in the Turkish Süper Lig.

A solid start to the season, with six wins in its first eight league games, had carried the Istanbul club to the top of the standings, but troubles began when Fenerbahçe lost 3-1 at Trabzonspor on Oct. 17.

Turkish side Fenerbahçe were held to a 2-2 draw by Antwerp on Oct. 21 in a Group D match of the Europa League.

Mbwana Samatta found an early goal for Antwerp in minute two at the Şükrü Saraçoğlu Stadium in Istanbul.

Fenerbahçe leveled the game with a goal by Enner Valencia in the 21st minute, but Valencia later missed a penalty shot in minute 37.

Galatasaray beat Lazio 1-0 in the UEFA Europa League Group E match on Sept. 16. 

Lazio's Albanian goalie Thomas Strakosha scored an own goal in the 67th minute at Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex (Turk Telekom Stadium), Istanbul.

Galatasaray took the top spot with three points, while Marseille placed 2nd with one point in Group E.

Two Istanbul rivals start their Europa League campaigns on Sept. 16 when Galatasaray hosts Italy's Lazio in a Group E match and Fenerbahçe visits Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt in Group D.

Turkey's Galatasaray marched to the 2021-22 UEFA Europa League group stage over a 2-1 win against Danish club Randers on Aug. 26. 

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The Lions were victorious in the playoffs second leg held in Istanbul as they completed a 3-2 win on aggregate.