Fenerbahçe are in Ankara this weekend, hoping to make it two victories in a row in Turkcell Süper Lig play.  To do so, they'll need to take care of business against a struggling Gençlerbirliği side in the nation's capital.  Kickoff for Saturday's match is set for 19:00 local time (12 Noon EST in the U.S.; 5 PM in the U.K.) from Ankara 19 Mayıs Stadium. 

Last weekend was Fenerbahçe's first game in the month of March, and the Canaries couldn't be more relieved to turn the calendar page from February.  They won only one match during the month of February, and that lone victory came back on February 4th.  In the shortest month of the year, the Canaries lost their grasp on the top spot in the league, while being eliminated from European competition at nearly the same time. 

March offered the Canaries a new outlook, however, and they took advantage.  Andre Santos gave the team the only goal of the match last Sunday as they broke their winless streak and defeated Antalyaspor 1-0 in Istanbul.  They've slipped to third place in the league table, but they are only two points behind rivals and league-leaders Galatasaray, with the world's biggest derby looming in just a couple of weeks.  Therefore, despite all of the troubles the team experienced in February, there is more than enough time to turn things around and make a serious run at the league championship. 

Fenerbahçe won't receive a lot of sympathy in Ankara tomorrow.  Gençlerbirliği is having struggles of their own, coming in to Saturday's match having won just once in their last eight games.  They have only five points in league play so far in 2010.  The Ankara side have had trouble finding the back of the net recently, being outscored 9-3 in their last five matches.

To compound the problems for Gençlerbirliği, the team is facing a rash of injuries recently.  Defender Ivan Radeljic, striker Sinan Ayrancı and midfielders Abdülhamit Yıldız and Sabahattin Usta all missed Thursday’s practice session due to injury.  Additionally, Murat Kalkan is not at full strength despite training with the team late this week.  Coach Thomas Doll told reporters this week that his team has no room to be arrogant ahead of Saturday's match with the Yellow Canaries.

“Fenerbahçe is one of the best teams in the land,” Doll told reporters. “We respect every team, big or small, so we respect Fenerbahçe. But we need maximum points and therefore must go out there and put up a good fight against Fenerbahçe,” he further noted.

Fenerbahçe are facing injury concerns of their own, a problem that has plagued the team for much of the season.  Gökhan Gönül and Diego Lugano both missed practice time earlier this week, although both made the trip to Ankara this weekend.  The team will be without the services of team captain Alex de Souza, however.  The Brazilian star picked up a red card two weeks ago and will miss the second game of a two-game suspension tomorrow night.  Despite his absence, the Canaries were able to defeat Antalyaspor last weekend, but Coach Christoph Daum knows points won't be easy to accumulate in any match.

“The league has reached a stage where dropping just one point could be suicidal,” Daum told reporters this week. “And we all are very well aware of this fact,” he said.  Daum warned his players this week that despite the struggles, nothing has been determined yet. 

“Everything is still possible in the league, and your fate is in your own hands,” Daum told his players this week. “So you must keep your eyes on the prize." 

Fenerbahçe have won 14 of the last 20 meetings with Gençlerbirliği.  Additionally, the Ankara side have won only twice against the Canaries during that same time.  One of those wins came just last season, however.  Michael Jedinak scored just 14 minutes in last February to lead the team to a 1-0 victory over Fener in Ankara.  The teams last faced each other in October, with Fener cruising to a 3-0 victory in Istanbul.  Alex de Souza scored twice in that match, and Diego Lugano added a third goal to pace the Canaries to victory. 

Gençlerbirliği are currently in tenth place in the league and need to turn things around to avoid any late-season relegation fears.  For Fener, every match presents an opportunity, and the Canaries are eager to prove that last weekend's victory over Antalyaspor wasn't a fluke.  Despite all of the struggles, the Canaries can return to the top with a win Saturday.

Gençlerbirliği and Fenerbahçe face each other Saturday night in Ankara in league play.  Kickoff for the match is set for 19:00 local time (12 Noon EST in the U.S.; 5 PM in the U.K.) from Ankara 19 Mayıs Stadium.  Fans can watch the match live on Lig TV and online at www.digiturkwebtv.com.