Turkish football fans have to wait no more, as the Super Lig begins tonight, with a potential goal-thriller in Ankara.
Super Lig newcomers Ankaragucu will host reigning champions Galatasaray as the 2018-2019 season of the Super Lig kicks off today. The match will finally end the Turkish fan’s 82-day-wait for top-flight football.
On July 4th, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) announced that the season would be dedicated to Lefter Kucukandonyadis, an iconic Turkish-Greek football player who played for Fenerbahce.
Meanwhile, last season’s runner-up Fenerbahce will start their season at home against Bursaspor on Saturday, while the other Istanbul giant, Besiktas will also play at home against Turkish Cup champions Akhisarspor on Sunday.
Istanbul Basaksehir, who was one of the top title contenders last season, will take on Trabzonspor at home on Sunday. The new season will see 18 teams from 13 Turkish provinces play 306 matches in 290 days.
Caykur Rizespor, MKE Ankaragucu, and Buyuksehir Belediye Erzurumspor are the league’s newcomers from Turkey’s second division, the 1.Lig.
Friday’s opening match between Ankaragucu, who returned to the top division after a six year absence, and Galatasaray will be their 95th head-to-head match. The Lions have thoroughly dominated their Anatolian rival, winning 59 matches. Ankaragucu, on the other hand, managed to win only 17 matches against Galatasaray while 18 matches ended in a draw.
In a first for Turkish football, this season the league will also put to use the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system. VAR was used for the first time in Turkey in the Turkish Super Cup game last weekend.
As Turkish football lovers, we wish every fan a great 2018/2019 season!
