Turkey’s Super Lig looks set for a wild finish

Supremacy in Turkish club football seldom strays too far from Istanbul.

While scandal and slumps in form have in recent years affected a couple of the behemoths of the Bosphorus, their local rivals have generally seized on that stumble as an opportunity.

The Super Lig may not be giving its best impression in terms of Uefa Champions League impact, with no teams in the final 16, but the current title race is fierce, tight and being pulled three ways across Istanbul.

Besiktas have led the table after eight of the 14 rounds; Galatasaray were the early pacesetters, on top after the first two weekends; while Fenerbahce, the defending champions, have been at the summit twice.

Each remain in touching distance of the other two, with two points separating leaders Besiktas from third-placed Fenerbahce. The lead could easily change three times this weekend.

“It’s a good league and very passionate,” says Slaven Bilic, the Besiktas coach who, 18 months in the job, already looks like a gnarled survivor.

Galatasaray are maintaining their pressure on the top despite two coaching changes in 2014, Roberto Mancini giving way to Cesare Prandelli, whose brief stint finished last month.

Holders Fenerbahce came under the watch of Ismail Kartal in August, after a Uefa penalty had removed them from the Champions League.

Runners-up Galatasaray were promoted to the group stage only to suffer a series of heavy defeats, contributing to Prandelli’s departure. Besiktas were ousted by Arsenal in the play-off stage.

But if no Turkish club at the moment scares the big names of Europe, they can certainly put on a show at home.

The Galatasary-Fenerbahce derby in October was full of theatre, all its goals concentrated into a flurry after the 88th minute. Wesley Sneijder, with superb long-range strikes, scored twice for Galatasaray in a 2-1 victory.

Sneijder, not for the first time in his career, is giving off signals, ahead of an imminent transfer window, that he might be tempted to move elsewhere.

The Turkish league is conditioned to foreign stars regarding Istanbul as a transit stop. It usually provides them with some exhilarating experiences while they are there.

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