Trabzonspor 
vs
Fenerbahçe
Sunday 6th May 2012 @ 17:00 GMT
Avni Aker stadium
Prediction: Over 2.5 @ 2.00
Trabzonspor gave a marked improvement in comparison to their last game against Galatasaray in their mid-week encounter. The Black Sea Storm welcomed Burak Yilmaz back and his presence was immediately felt. The leagues Goal King gives his team more attacking options and his pace forces teams to play a deeper defensive line.
Manager Şenol Güneş is likely to field an attacking 4-3-3 setup and will have his strongest squad to chose from. The Black Sea club will be fully aware that any chances of winning the league have faded away considering they are 14 points behind playoff leaders Galatasaray. The clubs main priority now is to maintain their point lead over last placed Beşiktaş, finish in third position and make the Europa League.
Fenerbahçe missed the chance to join Galatasaray at the top of the table following their defeat at the hands of Beşiktaş. The Yellow Canaries remain in second place 3 points behind the Lions and have to win unless Galatasaray lose. However, as both games will be played at the same time, Fener will have to play for the win to guarantee themselves a chance.
Manager Aykut Kocaman is likely to switch from Fener's customary 4-2-3-1 setup to a 4-3-3 formation due to Alex De Souza being ruled out. The attacking tridente is likely to feature Semih upfront, Stoch on the left and Topuz on the right. We have been critical of Baroni's defensive work however, since being given a more attacking role he has been much better and looks more comfortable. He was arguably the Canaries most effective player in the previous game, the most accurate passer on the field with 80 passes and almost equalized for Fener in the 57th minute. The Brazilian is likely to be joined by Emre and Caner in midfield.
Fenerbahçe go into this game facing injuries to captain Alex and star striker Moussa Sow. Gokhan Gonul is an injury doubt and even if forced to play won't be at full strength. The key match ups in this game will be whether Trabzonspor's wide players can track down and prevent Stoch and Caner breaking down the left wing. If Trabzonspor fail to prevent their forward runs they could be in for a rough evening. The Yellow Canaries will have to be very careful in not being too adventurous and pushing their defensive line up too far as Trabzonspor's attacking tridente could severely punish them. Fener's defense will have to cope with Burak Yilmaz upfront as well as Olcan and Altintop playing out wide.
The mood is Trabzon is one of revenge and retribution. The Black Sea clubs supporters feel last seasons championship was robbed from them and that under normal circumstances Fener would have been stripped from the title due to involvement in match-fixing. Whatever the courts final verdict, for Trabzonspor this is a huge game, they will enjoy incredible support and create an fiery atmosphere. Expect both teams to go for the win and for their to be a heated atmosphere.
Predicting Over 2.5 goals
Trabzonspor
Recent Form: DLWLD
Fenerbahçe
Recent Form: WWWWL
Match Stats
Head to Head: 33 - 27 - 38
Weather Conditions: Sunny, 20°C
