Trabzonspor coach Fatih Tekke has stated that they intend to exploit Paul Onuachu’s quality to the fullest when they face Galatasaray on Saturday evening.
Trabzonspor will have a chance to establish themselves as genuine title contenders when they welcome Galatasaray to Papara Park for this high-stakes Turkish Süper Lig clash.
The Cimbom, who currently sit at the summit of the Turkish top flight, are four points ahead of Trabzonspor.
However, a win for the Black Sea Storm would bring them within one point of their highly successful Istanbul rivals. With just seven games remaining in the season, both teams are expected to leave everything on the pitch.
Nonetheless, Galatasaray enters the fixture as the slight favorite, even away from home. They are the defending league champions, have slightly better squad depth, and have not suffered a defeat in this fixture since January 2022.
In fact, in their last nine meetings, the Cimbom have emerged victorious seven times, making the recent head-to-head record appear somewhat lopsided.
Fatih Tekke Banking on Paul Onuachu's Quality
Galatasaray and Trabzonspor currently boast two of the best strikers in Turkey, both of whom are Nigerians. Galatasaray has Victor Osimhen, the Turkish record signing, but he will miss the game due to injury.
For Trabzonspor, however, Paul Onuachu is the main man. He currently leads the Süper Lig scoring charts with 21 goals and is expected to lead the line for his side.
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Ahead of the match, Coach Tekke expressed confidence in a victory, noting that Onuachu will be the key to success.
”They (Galatasaray) lost to Kocaelispor and Konyaspor in the league. In Europe, they conceded five goals against Frankfurt and four against Liverpool,” Tekke said.
”We are a younger team, hungry for success. We know that if we win this match, the path to the Champions League will open up for us. I have told the players: shoot whenever you see the goal. If we can feed Onuachu well with crosses from the flanks, we will definitely score.”
The reverse fixture earlier this season ended in a goalless draw, but both teams are expected to go all out for the win this time around.
Aside from Onuachu, Trabzonspor features other Nigerian internationals—Anthony Nwakaeme and Chibuike Nwaiwu. Coach Tekke will be hoping these stars are at the top of their game to help Trabzonspor claim a vital victory.
