Süper Lig champion and Turkish Cup winner Beşiktaş will face off with Antalyaspor in the Qatari capital Doha on Wednesday as they fight for the Turkish Super Cup.
While Beşiktaş clinched a historic double last season, Antalyaspor was the Turkish Cup finalist.
The first Turkish Super Cup was held in 2006 and claimed by Beşiktaş. Istanbul powerhouse Galatasaray has won the trophy a record six times.
Beşiktaş interim manager Önder Karaveli will be looking to clinch the Super Cup, which will be his first shot at silverware with the club.
The Black Eagles, however, will be missing seven first-team players, including Necip Uysal, Can Bozdağan, Salih Uçan, Güven Yalçın, Serdar Saatçı, sakatlıkları bulunan Mert Günok and Gökhan Töre, with COVID-19 symptoms. It will also be without Oğuzhan Özyakup who tested positive for the coronavirus.
Karaveli took over after the Istanbul heavyweight parted ways with former club legend-turned-coach Sergen Yalçın.
This will be Beşiktaş’s sixth match under Karaveli. In the Süper Lig, he has led Beşiktaş to two wins, one loss and a draw.
Beşiktaş also beat Altay 1-0 in a Ziraat Turkish Cup Round 5 match under its new coach.
With eight wins from 19 matches, Beşiktaş is currently seventh in the Süper Lig with 28 points.
Antalyaspor, on the other hand, is fifteenth in the league with 22 points from six wins and four draws.
The match at Doha’s Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium will kick off at 8:45 p.m. (5:45 GMT), officiated by referee Halil Umut Meler.
The match will be one of the many dress rehearsal events Qatar is hosting ahead of organizing the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
In December, it successfully organized the first-ever Arab Cup, won by Algeria.
