Trabzonspor takes on solid Kayserispor
ISTANBUL - Turkcell Super League leader Trabzonspor will face a serious test to maintain its position when it plays at Kayserispor tonight.
With only one loss and three draws in 12 games, Trabzonspor is currently setting the pace in the league. Last week’s draw may have cut its lead over Beşiktaş to only two points, but still, the Black Sea Storm maintains a commanding position.
Best known, and sometimes criticized, for his fondness for an attacking mentality of football, coach Ersun Yanal’s team often found the goals easily and the side became unstoppable once its defensive woes were solved. For a brief period early in the season, Trabzon conceded eight goals in four consecutive games, including a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Galatasaray. Given that the total number of goals Trabzon has allowed was only nine, it is obvious that the Burgundy-Blues have left their defensive problems behind.
This week, the fast-paced Trabzonspor attackers will play against a notoriously masterful defense. Coached by a former Trabzonspor midfielder Tolunay Kafkas, Kayserispor is more of an Italian team when it comes to closing their goal to opposing strikers. So far, Kayserispor has let in only six goals in 12 games, in doing so becoming a comfortable leader in that category. However, a poor record of goal scoring pays off at the other end. Only 17th-spot Hacettepe, which has seven goals, is a worse attacker than Kayserispor, which has scored only 11 goals.
But nobody beats Kayseri when it comes to a drought of goals. Kayserispor’s games have seen a total number of 17 goals, which is five less than the closest trailer.
According to Kafkas, Kayserispor will not take more precautions than it does in any other games but admits Trabzonspor has its stars to watch out for.
"We will not have that many special tactics," said Kafkas. "Kayserispor always tries to do things its own way. It dictates the play but it can make slight changes according to the opponents.
"But we will try to contain a couple of players, led by Ibrahima Yattara. Then come Gökhan Ünal and Umut Bulut. And of course, we will keep marking every player on the pitch."
The game kicks off at 8:00 p.m.
Turkish Daily News
