Derby day hinges on Kartal
Volkan Demirel has put the Galatasaray derby squarely on İsmail Kartal. The former Fenerbahçe goalkeeper says the fate of the match depends on the coach's decisions, and he did not dress it up: "Her şey İsmail Kartal'a bağlı", everything depends on İsmail Kartal (4).
Kickoff at Galatasaray is Monday 19:30 CET. Your team goes in third on 16 points from 8 games, goal difference +16.
That is the loudest thing a Fenerbahçe legend can say before a derby. Not about the players. Not about the opponent. About the man picking the team.
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Fenerbahçe run less than anyone in the Champions League
Last of 36. Fenerbahçe have covered the least ground of any team in the Champions League after three matches, 111.5 km in total (5).
Three games in and the running numbers sit at the bottom of the competition. For a derby week that is the stat people will throw at you.
Your team came back from 2–2 with Slavia Prague on Tuesday, and that is a point off a night that could have been worse. The legs are the question now.
€31.6m from UEFA already banked
Fenerbahçe have guaranteed €31.6m from UEFA (1). That is the most of any club in Europe, per the report.
Money in the account before the league phase is finished. Whatever happens against Liverpool on 4 November, that money is not moving.
What comes after Galatasaray
Goztepe at home on Saturday 31 October. Then Liverpool at home in the Champions League on Wednesday 4 November.
Two home games in a row after the derby. That is where the running distance either gets fixed or gets talked about all winter.
Fan reactions
Nothing to report from the stands yet; the talking point is Demirel's line about Kartal and what it means for Monday.
