The 25th round of the Turkish Super League last weekend was incredibly exciting and unpredictable. We saw three own goals and penalties, two comebacks, and wins after being down 0-2. However, the real treat awaits this Monday at 20.00 when the two biggest Turkish clubs, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, will face off. This match could directly determine the champion.Galatasaray holds a six-point advantage, playing at home, and if they remain unbeaten (they haven’t lost a league match this season), they will be very close to defending their title. Fenerbahce, on the other hand, has no choice but to go for a victory at the hostile Rams Park; anything less would effectively end their title hopes.🆚 Galatasaray🗓 24 Şubat Pazartesi🕗 20.00🏟️ RAMS Park 📲 #GSvFB pic.twitter.com/eNugUbFFbv— Fenerbahçe SK (@Fenerbahce) February 23, 2025 But Fenerbahce has reason to hope. For example, they defeated Galatasaray 1-0 last May at the same venue when they were down to 10 men for 80 minutes, with a goal by Caglar Soyuncu.In recent years, the home advantage hasn’t played a significant role in the Istanbul derby. Galatasaray has only beaten their fiercest rival once in the last nine league meetings at home. Fenerbahce has triumphed three times in that period, and five matches ended in draws.The most common result in the last decade has been 0-0, with four such scorelines. Penalties, red cards, and disallowed goals have all been part of the typical Istanbul derby folklore. As usual, the losing team often blames the referee, the federation, and delegates after the match.🇸🇰🙎🏽♂️Slovakian referee, Slavko Vinčić will officiate the Biggest Game in Turkey between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe derby on Monday.Perhaps a cue, the English Premier League could copy from 👀 pic.twitter.com/XUPUMBT297— Football Fans Tribe 🇳🇬 ⚽ (@FansTribeHQ) February 21, 2025 To avoid any controversy, the Turkish Football Federation has appointed Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic for this match, a referee who handled the Champions League final last year between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund (2-0) excellently.Galatasaray has been awarded nine penalties this season, while Fenerbahce has had seven. Both teams missed one each: Michy Batshuayi, who moved to Eintracht Frankfurt in January, missed for Galatasaray, while Edin Dzeko missed for Fenerbahce. Additionally, Dusan Tadic has successfully converted three penalties this season.Fener wins, Mourinho gets new friendsThis derby is scheduled for Monday because both teams played their Europa League Round of 32 matches on Thursday. Interestingly, both teams drew 2-2, but the outcomes were different. Galatasaray was eliminated after a 1-4 loss to AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands, while Fenerbahce triumphed 3-0 against Anderlecht and progressed to the Round of 16, where they will face Glasgow Rangers. If Fenerbahce eliminates the Scots, they could meet Jose Mourinho’s former club, Roma, in the quarterfinals—if Roma manages to overcome one of the favorites for the Europa League title, Athletic Bilbao.Fenerbahce will enter the final third of the season facing more battles than Galatasaray, making their title chase even harder. Both teams are still “alive” in the Turkish Cup, with three more group-stage matches to play before the knockout phase begins.UEL: United play against Real, Mourinho could face Roma in the semi’sIn the first Istanbul derby of the season, on September 21, 2023, Galatasaray comfortably defeated Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe 3-1. After just 30 minutes, they led 2-0 with goals from Torreira and Mertens. Gabriel Sara added a third in the 59th minute, and Dzeko’s penalty only reduced the margin. Turkish referee Atilla Karaoglan showed nine yellow cards in that match (6-3 in favor of Galatasaray), but no red cards were handed out.##NAJAVA_MECA_8726485##
