İsmail Kartal: 'We want to win and advance as leaders'

Speaking at a press conference held at the Samandıra Can Bartu Facilities, Kartal noted that they have been following their opponents closely and have prepared accordingly.

Emphasizing that they aim to win in front of their own fans, Kartal said, "Our opponent has played 13 official matches since we last played them. They have had 8 wins, 1 draw, and 4 losses in those games. We are following them closely. Our only goal is to win in front of our own fans. I believe we will achieve this. We have a strong hand for tomorrow's match, our squad is deep, and with the support of our fans, we want to win the match and advance from here as leaders, or at worst, as runners-up," he said.

Stating that he will decide on the match squad based on 1-2 players whose status will be determined in this evening's training session, Kartal added, "If we win, we guarantee our advancement regardless of the result of the other match. Goal difference is important for the lead, and we are doing the math on that as well. Our priority is to win the match and advance."

Addressing the attack on referee Halil Umut Meler during the MKE Ankaragücü vs. Çaykur Rizespor match and the subsequent postponement of the leagues, Kartal said, "I would like to express my well wishes following the events of Monday evening. I hope such incidents are not repeated. This fixture is a decision made by the federation. It is not right for me to make any comments on this. We do not have the power to change the decision made by the federation. We were supposed to play at home, but now we will play away. Unfortunately, this decision has created problems for us."

Explaining that there is no change in their goals for the competition, Kartal said, "If we win tomorrow, we will advance from the group, and we aim to go as far as we can. With the return of injured players and the energy they provide, we are looking ahead with a full squad. Only the situations of Zajc and Becao are still ongoing, but overall we are in good shape. We are the leaders of the league, and tomorrow we want to continue our journey with our fans and a good performance."

Kartal added that Becao's condition is improving day by day and they expect him to return to team training towards the middle of January.

News Source: 12punto