This weekend is the last hurrah of the Turkish Süper Lig, in the 38th week the duels will separate the chaff from the champion and the ultimate champion will be determined, while the last two will go under the guillotine.
Reigning champions Galatasaray, who went into the final week three points ahead of arch-rivals Fenerbahçe, need just a single point against tricky Konyaspor to secure the title.
After last week’s intense derby between the two, which saw Ismail Kartal’s ten-man side narrowly beat Okan Buruk’s brigade, the stakes have never been higher as this weekend’s encounters will be more crucial than ever.
If the Lions fail to score in their hunt and the “Yellow Canaries” win against Istanbulspor, the team from Kadikoy will win their first title since the 2013/14 season.
Turkish Cup runners-up Trabzonspor, who already secured third place on Thursday, will host Ankaragücü, who are hanging by a thread in view of the looming threat of relegation.
The champions of the 2019–20 season, Başakşehir with 58 points, and the newly crowned Turkish Cup champions Beşiktaş with 56 points are battling for fourth place.
Başakşehir will face Adana Demirspor away, while Beşiktaş will also face Sami Uğurlu’s Kasımpaşa away.
The relegation battle is just as exciting and there are crucial games ahead.
After Istanbulspor, Fatih Karagümrük is the second team whose relegation is certain after last week’s games.
Candidates for the last two relegation places are the struggling Pendikspor, the struggling Hatayspor, Ankaragücü, Konyaspor and Gaziantep.
Pendikspor is on the gallows and, with 37 points, is not yet mathematically relegated, but has only a small chance of survival.
Pendikspor must end up level on points with Ankaragücü and be better due to goal difference.
However, Ankaragücü currently has a goal difference of minus 4, while Pendikspor has one of minus 30.
Pendikspor, Hatayspor, Ankaragücü, Konyaspor and Gaziantep all go into the final week with 41 points each.
In the relegation zone, Pendikspor hosts Gaziantep, Hatayspor faces Rizespor and Konyaspor plays against league leaders Galatasaray.
Ankaragücü also travels to Trabzonspor.
In the last match week of the Süper Lig, the teams in the relegation battle will face crucial games.
For Hatayspor, currently ranked 17th, it will depend on the outcome of the other matches if they win their last game against Rizespor.
The outcome of other matches, including Konyaspor-Galatasaray, Pendikspor-Gaziantep and Trabzonspor-Ankaragücü, will decide their fate.
Hatayspor, which was promoted from the 1. Lig as champions in the 2019-2020 season, has now been playing in the Süper Lig for four seasons.
Relegation rates
Hatayspor: If Hatayspor beats Rizespor and Ankaragücü does not win against Trabzon, Hatayspor will remain in the league.
If Konyaspor and Gaziantep lose, Hatayspor could finish ahead of them on goal difference.
Ankaragucu: Ankaragücü can avoid relegation with a win against Trabzon.
If the match ends in a draw and Hatayspor Rizespor wins, Ankaragücü will be relegated based on head-to-head comparison.
Konyaspor: If Konyaspor loses against Galatasaray and Hatayspor wins against Rizespor, Konyaspor will be relegated based on goal difference.
In other scenarios, Konyaspor would stay in the league.
Gaziantep: With a win or a draw against Pendikspor, Gaziantep will stay in the league. If Hatayspor loses, a win will mean Gaziantep’s relegation.
