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Istanbul clubs Fenerbahce and Galatasaray are set to meet on Monday evening in the world's sole intercontinental derby, carrying the highest combined squad value in their 116-year rivalry, with the total approaching €600 million ($698.60 million) amid a tightening title race.
The season-defining match will be played at Chobani Stadium in the Fenerbahce Sukru Saracoglu Sports Complex, on the same grounds where the rivalry began in 1909 at what was then known as Papazin Cayiri, translated into English as "The Priest’s Meadow."
According to data compiled by Transfermarkt, the two squads carry a combined value of €597 million—approaching a €600 million mark never reached in a league meeting, with Galatasaray leading at €305 million and Fenerbahce close behind at €292 million.
The match, marking the final fixture of Week 14 in the Turkish Super Lig, will kick off at 8:00 p.m. local time (GMT+3). Fenerbahce enters the derby in second place with 31 points, sitting one point behind their rivals, who finished the last three seasons at the top.
Galatasaray’s roster features Davinson Sanchez, Gabriel Sara, Leroy Sane, and Baris Alper Yilmaz, alongside Victor Osimhen, who holds a market valuation of €75 million, making him the league’s most valuable player. Fenerbahce’s top-valued names include Kerem Akturkoglu, Edson Alvarez, Youssef En-Nesyri, and Jhon Duran, whose individual valuation of €35 million tops the club list.
Fifteen players across both teams are preparing to make their derby debuts. On the Fenerbahce side, Ederson, Tarik Cetin, Archie Brown, Nelson Semedo, Edson Alvarez, Marco Asensio, Dorgeles Nene, Jhon Duran, and last season’s signing Levent Mercan could feature in their first clash against Galatasaray.
Galatasaray debuts may come from goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir, Wilfried Singo, Leroy Sane, and Ilkay Gundogan, as well as goalkeeper Batuhan Sen and young defender Arda Unyay.
Fenerbahce’s new transfer Kerem Akturkoglu previously played eight derbies wearing Galatasaray’s shirt and may face his former club for the first time in his new colors.
The Yellow Canaries are expected to take the field with Ederson in goal, backed by a defensive line of Semedo, Skriniar, Oosterwolde, and Levent. The midfield pairing of Alvarez and Ismail is set to operate behind an attacking unit featuring Asensio, Nene, and Kerem, with Jhon Duran leading the forward line.
The Lions, on the other hand, are expected to line up with Ugurcan in goal, supported by a back four of Davinson Sanchez, Arda, Abdulkerim, and Kazimcan. Torreira and Lemina are likely to anchor the midfield, with Ilkay positioned ahead of them, while the attack is set to feature Sane and Baris on the wings and Osimhen leading the line.
More than a century has passed since Fenerbahce and Galatasaray first met in 1909, and the matchup has accumulated a long record of defining episodes. The series began on a field then called Papazin Cayiri, where Galatasaray claimed a 2–0 victory and went on to keep its goal intact through the opening seven meetings. Fenerbahce broke that run only in the eighth encounter, scoring its first goal against its rival and securing its first win.
By 1914, the balance shifted again when Fenerbahce defeated Galatasaray 4–2 in an Istanbul League match played at Union Club Stadium, ending a period of nearly five years without a victory over their opponents.
Since then, across 403 meetings, Fenerbahce have recorded 149 wins, while Galatasaray have taken 130 victories, including one awarded result, with 124 matches ending in a draw. Fenerbahce have scored 543 goals in the rivalry, and Galatasaray have replied with 504, three of them coming from an awarded win.
The 1–0 result has appeared more often than any other, occurring seventy-five times, while the 2–1 scoreline has been recorded fifty times across 403 matches.
Despite Fenerbahce’s overall superiority in the rivalry, Galatasaray holds the edge in the last ten derbies with five wins, including one by default, while Fenerbahce has won three. During that period, Galatasaray has scored fifteen goals across league, Super Cup, and Turkish Cup fixtures, compared with seven for Fenerbahce.
Since the 2017–2018 campaign, the yellow-reds have also had the upper hand at Fenerbahce’s stadium, playing nine official matches—eight in the league and one in the Turkish Cup—and earning four league wins, three draws, and only one loss. One of the most notable victories for the Lions came in February 2020, when the club ended a two-decade drought of away league wins in Kadikoy with a 3–1 result. Before that match, Galatasaray’s previous away league win against Fenerbahce had occurred in 1999.
In league matches specifically, Metin Oktay is Galatasaray’s top scorer with nine goals, while Aykut Kocaman leads Fenerbahce’s list with eight. The player with the most derby appearances is former Galatasaray goalkeeper Turgay Seren, who took part in fifty-five meetings and holds the all-time record for matches played between the two sides.
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