Turkey Super Lig predictions and odds

Welcome to Betting Fellow’s guide to all things related to Turkish Süper Lig betting. You can find carefully curated betting tips below, as well as a detailed introduction to understanding which Süper Lig matches to bet on and why.

Experienced bettors know that finding value in betting requires a lot of digging around for the best options and opportunities. To that end, football leagues less familiar to the general public can be goldmines if you know what to look for. In simple terms, sportsbooks and bookies spend less time and effort in pricing these and information is usually much scarcer than for, say, Premier League teams. That can be a double-edged sword, though, which is why we wrote this Süper Lig betting guide.

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Turkey Super Lig Predictions

19/05/2024

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Turkey Super Lig Results

History and General Information

The Süper Lig represents the top flight of professional football in Turkey. According to UEFA’s system of coefficients, it is currently the 11th best-ranked national league in Europe. Still, it’s viewership is often much higher than what the ranking might imply, as is the reach and fame of some of its clubs. That said, Süper Lig teams have always had trouble recording major successes on the international theatre.

We’ll start with a bit of history first. In terms of when a unified national league was formed, Turkey was a bit behind the curve compared to most European countries. The sport was first introduced to the then-Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century, and first attempts to form organized competitions soon followed. This led to the formation of the Istambul League, whose inaugural season was in 1904/05.

However, these competitions were largely confined to a local level. The reasoning was simple – the Ottoman Empire was a failing state on its last legs. As the early 20th century trudged on, Turkey was going through substantial social and political changes. The Empire was collapsing, and a democratic state was to rise from its ashes.

Dramatic statements aside, such turmoil isn’t exactly a great time to organize nation-wide football leagues. Multiple attempts would be made in various cities across Turkey and today’s Greece, but few had any real longevity or impact. Notably, professionalism was introduced in 1952, so the league changed names to the Istambul Professional League.

That being said, though a traditional league was still a ways off, the first competition to bring forth a national champion was the Turkish Football Championship. This was a more typical knock-out tournament which pitted various regional champions against one another. It continued from 1924 to 1951.

Perhaps the closest thing the Süper Lig has to a predecessor is the National Division. Formed in 1937, it unified the best clubs from Ankara, Istambul, and Izmir into a single league.

Still, 1959 is widely considered the first season of the Turkish National League. It consisted of 16 clubs that were still generally from Istambul, Izmir and/or Ankara. Still, football historians consider the winners Fenerbahçe the first true Turkish football champions.

The 2nd League was formed in 1963, which remains in place to this day (though it was renamed to the 1st Lig when as soon as the 1st league took the mantle of Super League.) It immediately introduced the system of promotion and relegation we have today. Interestingly, teams could also be relegated before that. A tournament dubbed the Baraj Games was held at the end of seasons before that, in which the three bottom-placed teams had to defend their league spots against what were essentially wildcard clubs.

Format

The Süper Lig largely conforms to the standards set for top-flight national leagues, with one exception – it consists of only 18 clubs. Beyond that, though, everything should be immediately familiar. The teams face off against each other in a round-robin format between August and May of the following year. Every team plays every other team twice in one home game and one away game.

Points are awarded in the typical 3/1/0 way. The teams are ranked based on points won. In case of a tie, head-to-head statistics are used to determine the table positions, followed by goal difference. There are no playoffs for the title – the best-placed team are awarded the championship. The two bottom-placed teams are relegated to the 1. Lig and replaced by the second flight's best-placed teams. Additionally, the third 16th placed team faces off against the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th teams from the 1. Lig for an additional spot.

Due to the Süper Lig’s coefficient ranking, the champions go straight to the Champions League group stage. The runners-up instead qualify for the second qualifying round. Teams in 3rd and 4th place go to the 3rd and 2nd qualifying rounds of the Europa League, respectively.

Süper Lig Derby Matches

The Intercontinental Derby

Also known as the Eternal Rivalry, this is historically Turkey’s most famed football derby. It’s the showdown between the country’s most decorated teams - Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray. Though both teams are based in Istanbul, their origins are from the opposite sides of the Bosphorus – hence the name Intercontinental. As a rule, these matches boast incredible attendance rates and fiery atmospheres (occasionally rife with hooliganism.)

Beşiktaş–Galatasaray

All three of Turkey’s greatest rivalries are technically local derbies, this showdown, in particular, has become quite notorious in recent years. This clash is known to be instrumental in deciding the season’s champions. Unfortunately, though, the matches are known to erupt in violence. Galatasaray can boast more success so far, though things appear to be swinging in Beşiktaş’ favour.

Süper Lig Best Stadiums

Türk Telekom Stadium

Galatasaray home ground is easily Turkey’s biggest football stadium with a capacity of just over 52,000. Part of the Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex, it was also the first Turkish stadium to meed UEFA’s standards for hosting international competitions. That said, it’s still fairly new, so it doesn’t have the same history as some of Istambul’s other stadiums.

Ülker Stadium

Speaking of which, Fenerbahçe’s home turf has been on the same grounds for more than a century. Also known as the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, this all-seater football pitch can host more than 47,000 spectators. Of course, it went through several renovations over the decades and was the staging ground for the last UEFA Cup Final in history (before it was rebranded as the Europa League.)