Turkey is holding its breath as derby week has arrived. Under the leadership of Jose Mourinho, Fenerbahçe has begun preparing for the big match at Kadıköy. Galatasaray, on the other hand, will fully shift its focus to the derby after playing a rescheduled match against Gaziantep FK today. The forward choices of both teams ahead of the derby are already a topic of curiosity. Here are the forward decisions of Okan Buruk and Jose Mourinho…
In the 6th week of the Trendyol Super League, Fenerbahçe will host Galatasaray at home. The highly anticipated derby will start on Saturday at 20:00.
As the eternal rivals prepare for the derby match, the coaches have already started strategizing in their minds.
What are the derby plans of Fenerbahçe’s coach Jose Mourinho and Galatasaray’s coach Okan Buruk? Here are the details…
MOURINHO’S PLAN A: DZEKO RETURNS TO THE STARTING XI
In the match against Kasımpaşa last Sunday, Fenerbahçe started with Youssef En-Nesyri. This time, Jose Mourinho will choose Edin Dzeko. Due to the Bosnian forward’s two physically demanding matches for his national team, the Moroccan star En-Nesyri started the Kasımpaşa match. However, given his sluggish performance during the game, it’s almost certain that he will start the derby on the bench.
LEFT-BACK TO BE ASSIGNED TO OOSTERWOLDE
Fenerbahçe’s latest summer signing, Filip Kostić, is expected to start the match on the bench. If Djiku plays alongside Çağlar in defense, Oosterwolde will start as left-back.
“GAZIANTEP MATCH IS NOT AN ADVANTAGE FOR US”
After the Kasımpaşa match, Jose Mourinho told his players that Galatasaray’s match against Gaziantep FK tonight is not an advantage for them, and he instructed them to focus entirely on preparing for the Galatasaray derby.
ICARDI WANTS TO PLAY IN THE FENERBAHÇE MATCH
Galatasaray’s Mauro Icardi situation is a puzzle. Icardi, who traveled to Argentina for treatment and to spend time with his family, has reportedly called coach Okan Buruk, expressing his desire to play in the derby. Buruk has informed the player that there is no need to rush due to the Gaziantep match, and it is expected that the forward will be in Istanbul tomorrow evening.
OKAN BURUK’S ONLY STRIKER IS OSIMHEN
With the increase in elite forwards at Galatasaray, it is almost certain that Okan Buruk will switch to a three-man defense system, though this system is not expected to be implemented in the derby. The reason is insufficient practice with the three-man defense and Icardi not being at 100%.
Not wanting to risk Icardi, Okan Buruk is expected to use Osimhen as the sole forward, with Michy Batshuayi as a substitute on the bench. If Icardi is included in the squad, he is also expected to start on the bench.
HADİ FENER BU SENE ŞAMPİYONLUK BİZİM