DIFFERENT LEAGUE
T
here are still fourteen days
to go until the Turkish Super
Lig restarts following a
winter-break, but when it does
one of the widest-open title races
in European football will continue
with two former Liverpool team-
mates in the thick of it.
Going into 2018 the top seven
clubs – Istanbul Basaksehir,
Fenerbahce, Galatasaray,
Besiktas, Kayserispor, Goztepe
and Trabzonspor – were
separated by just seven points,
and that means Martin Skrtel
and Ryan Babel are vying for
the championship.Slovakian international
Skrtel has been at the heart of
Fenerbahce's defence since
leaving the Reds in 2016, having
made 320 appearances and
scored 18 goals for LFC.
Unbeaten since September,
Fener went into the year's-end
on the back of five league wins
in six games, easing the shock
of their Europa League exit to
Macedonian minnows Vardar
before even the group stages.
Now aged 33, Skrtel believes
Fenerbahce can win the Super
Lig, and in an interview published
back home in Slovakia he's also
been speaking about his own
future, with no plans to hang his
boots up any time soon: “I am 33
years old and have a contract
until 2019 with Fenerbahce.
Of course we will see what
happens. As long as my health
is in place I will continue to play.
Where my career ends it's hard
to say at the moment.”
Across Istanbul, Dutch forward
Babel – second only to David
Fairclough for the most goalsscored by a Liverpool substitute
with 12 of his 22 strikes coming
from the bench – is having a
fine season with Besiktas, who
topped their Champions League
group and will face Bayern
Munich in the last sixteen.
The 31-year-old has netted nine
goals in 23 games including two
in the Champions League and
a first career hat-trick in a 5-1
league win against Osmanlispor
on the same day Liverpool were
winning 4-0 at Bournemouth.
Babel was a title-winner
with Besiktas last season
while Fenerbahce could equal
Galatasaray's record of 20 Super
Lig titles with success in 2018.Meanwhile, in Istanbul...
It's Martin Skrtel v Ryan Babel as a thrilling race for the Turkish title resumes
TURKEY
Babel: first career
hat-trickSkrtel: in the
title hunt