Match Focus: Make or Break for Both Sides in Turkey's Intercontinental Derby

“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that,” Bill Shankly was famously quoted as saying. Anyone who has experienced the Intercontinental derby would probably agree.
 
The grand Istanbul derby is older than the Turkish republic itself, 1909 was the first time Galatasaray, heralding from the swanky European shores of Istanbul took on Fenerbahçe, their Asian neighbours from across the Bosporus.
 
The Intercontinental derby is unique in that it involves teams from the same city, situated on two continents. Former Galatasaray manager and Liverpool legend Graeme Souness summed up the root behind the rivalry: “I think the rivalry is more to do with Galatasaray being regarded as the aristocracy, Fenerbahçe are more the working class team over there.”
 
Today the class boundaries have been diluted as both teams draw support from a diverse socio-economic fanbase but at board level Galatasaray are still dominated by graduates from the prestigious 500-year-old High School who founded the club in 1905.
 
Galatasaray may be in joint second place on 10 points along with Mersin, Akhisar and rivals Fenerbahçe, but there are a few concerns. Prandelli keeps tinkering with his side and is viewed as a bit of a mad scientist, constantly working away at a new magic formula to get the best out of his team. However, the Lions have failed to impress in the Champions League thus far and Prandelli’s 3-5-2 experiment ended in catastrophe as Arsenal trounced them 4-1.

 
Prandelli switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation – having already tried a 4-3-2-1, 4-3-1-2 and 4-4-1-1 among others - in Galatasaray’s 2-1 win against Erciyesspor before the international break. The 57-year-old has used a different starting XI in his last eight games but he seems keen on playing Wesley Sneijder in more of a deep lying playmaker position.

“Sneijder’s character, intelligence, quality and ability to read the game shines through in his new position,” Prandelli said ahead of the Sivasspor game. Sneijder has averaged over 70 passes per-game in his last three matches in his new role and Prandelli seems satisfied with the results so far.
 
He is less pleased, however, with his full-backs who were left exposed against Arsenal and unless precautions are taken they could suffer a similar fate against Fenerbahçe. The Yellow Canaries have two of the leagues best performing full-backs over recent seasons. Left-back Caner Erkin already has more assists than any of his teammates (2) and is one of the highest rated players (7.33) for his side this season. The right-back Gökhan Gönül meanwhile could also prove to be a problem. Dirk Kuyt and Emmanuel Emenike are also played in wide positions from time to time and could prove an additional threat.
 
Fenerbahçe are level on points with Galatasaray but like their rivals also have a few problems. The Yellow Canaries are yet to win away from home this season, more worryingly they are yet to score.

Manager Ismail Kartal would love nothing more than for Fenerbahçe to break their duck against Galatasaray but considering the Canaries have lost on their last four visits to the Türk Telekom a point would not be considered a disaster either.

Kartal, who replaced Ersun Yanal – the manager who guided Fenerbahçe to the league title last season – has followed the mantra, if it ain't broke, don’t fix it. He has stuck with his predecessor's 4-3-3 setup and this is very much the same side that lifted the title, with the only notable addition being Diego. The Brazilian has yet to make his mark on the team and is still settling in. Diego has yet to provide an assist or register a goal, and that goes some way to explaining his rather poor 6.64 WhoScored rating.
 
Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe have WhoScored rating's of 7.02 and 7.01, respectively. There is little separating the two rivals, the Lions average 60% possession per game, the Canaries average 59%. Galatasaray average 457 short passes per match compared to Fenerbahçe’s 428.

Both sides have scored six goals while Galatasaray have conceded four - just one fewer than the Yellow Canaries. Prandelli will however, be concerned with his team conceding possession too easily, but the Italian has had the international break to try and rectify some of his side's shortcomings.
 
Prandelli will know what to expect from Fenerbahçe but Kartal will be left scratching his head until Saturday as far as his opposition is concerned. Prandelli still has not decided what his strongest line-up is, or his preferred formation. The former Azzurri manager’s constant tinkering has the potential to backfire like it did against Arsenal or he may just get it right this time and become an overnight hero.

The Intercontinental derby is more than just a game and with both managers in precarious positions a win here could end up being make-or-break.

Who do you think will win the Intercontinental derby? Let us know in the comments below