Süper Lig

Defending Turkish Süper Lig champion Beşiktaş wants to end its poor run in the competition when it hosts Kayserispor on Dec. 12 despite heading to the game with an interim coach.

Reserve team coach Önder Karaveli will be in charge this weekend after the club announced on Dec. 9 that it had parted ways with coach Sergen Yalçın.

Beşiktaş coach Sergen Yalçın has left his post following a string of poor results, according to a statement by the Turkish Süper Lig champion.

"We have parted ways by mutual agreement with Sergen Yalçın, who has been the coach of our Professional Football Team since Jan. 29, 2020," Beşiktaş said on Dec. 9 in a brief statement.

Turkish Süper Lig leader Trabzonspor extended its points difference with the closest rival to 10 points after Week 14 games, bolstering its fans' hopes that the 28-year longing for the league trophy will be over this season.

Mustafa Cengiz, the former chair of the Turkish football team Galatasaray, has died at the age of 71, according to a statement by the sports club.

"We lost the 37th president of Galatasaray Sports Club, Mustafa Cengiz. May God have mercy on our president. Our condolences to his family, loved ones and our community," it said in the statement.

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.

Aytemiz Alanyaspor defeated Beşiktaş 2-0 on Nov. 20 to sit in the third spot in the Turkish Süper Lig standings.

Aytemiz Alanyaspor broke open the scoring when Senegalese forward Khouma Babacar fired a right-footed volley at close range in minute 14 at Bahçeşehir Okullari stadium.

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.

Trabzonspor on Nov. 6 bagged a 2-1 win against Beşiktaş in the Turkish Süper Lig week 12 game.

The Black Sea Storm found the first goal late against the Black Eagles with midfielder Abdülkadir Ömür in the 49th minute, just before the end of the first half, at the Vodafone Park in Istanbul.

Galatasaray on Oct. 31 beat Gaziantep FK 2-0 in a Turkish Spor Toto Süper Lig match for a valuable victory as their archrivals Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe suffered defeats each in the same week.

The visitors were quite disciplined in defense after the kickoff in Istanbul's Nef Stadium as the Lions managed to break the deadlock just before the break.