Having suffered two consecutive defeats in the Turkcell Super League, Mustafa Denizli’s Besiktas will be looking to boost its form and morale against the hapless Kocaelispor tonight.
Beşiktaş lost its lead in the Turkcell Super League and fell to fourth spot after a 1-0 loss, the first in its campaign, at Kayserispor last Sunday. Considering the 1-1 draw against Sivasspor one week earlier, it is obvious Denizli will be looking to avoid adding another match to the unsuccessful streak.
Beşiktaş’s newly appointed coach, Denizli, seemed to have brought a fresh touch to the team, after a comfortable 3-1 victory against Gençlerbirliği in his first game at the helm. But with two winless games against two of the tougher sides in the league, the inevitable questions have started. However, the 58-year-old defended his side, saying that any team can drop points.
“We can lose points even when we are playing at our best,” said Denizli at a press conference. “That will not lead to a change of plans. I count on myself and my players when I say that.”
Denizli added that Beşiktaş was on the right track.
“What matters most for us is the way we are playing,” he explained. “If a team is doing the best it can to play well, the rest is not that important. I honestly believe that our fans are not unhappy with our performance in our games recently.”
The Turkish coach said he wanted the Beşiktaş fans to be as confident as he was. “I have no worries and want the fans to feel the same,” said Denizli. “The scale is going up for our team and there can be some losses on our way up, it does not matter that much.”
After two difficult fixtures, Beşiktaş will have a slightly easier opponent tonight. Kocaelispor, currently stuck at the bottom of the division, comes to Istanbul’s İnönü Stadium hoping for its first win of the season.
Kocaelispor is the only team that is yet to win a game and has scored only eight goals, while it has conceded a league-worst of 21 in nine games. Last year’s League One champion has only two points and is desperately seeking a win to get up out of the relegation zone.
Go to www.turkishsoccer.com web site to follow the match
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