04.11.2025 22:26
In the 12th week of the Super League, Kocaelispor, who will host Galatasaray, spoke about the challenging match with Head Coach Selçuk İnan, stating, "We need to surpass the effort we have put in so far to win the match. We are working to win without thinking about who our opponent is. If we reflect what we want on the field, with the support of our fans, we will be the winning side in our own city."
In the 12th week of the Trendyol Super League, Kocaelispor will host the leader Galatasaray on Sunday, November 9, at 17:00. Kocaelispor, which is continuing its preparations for the match, had its head coach Selçuk İnan answer questions from the press before training.
'WE WILL STRUGGLE TO BEAT GALATASARAY'
Stating that they found positions to win but could not finalize them in the Başakşehir match, İnan said, "We are sad to lose due to a bad decision. However, it’s a new day, a new match. We started preparations for the Galatasaray match as of yesterday. We will be playing against one of Turkey's most important teams, which has very important players. However, on Sunday at 17:00, we may break this year's record; we will have nearly 40,000 fans. We have the advantage of home ground and audience. Recently, we can say that we are in a form that can be considered fit. Therefore, we will fight together with our fans and our city to win the match. But one fact is that to win this match, we need to exceed the efforts we have made so far. Our players are also aware of this. All our work will be in this direction throughout the week," he expressed.
'NO POSSIBILITY OF PLAYING IN THE GALATASARAY MATCH'
Providing information about the missing players in the team and making a special note of the team's striker Petkovic, who returned to his country, Selçuk İnan said, "Bruno Petkovic wanted to be treated in his own country. He said that the doctor there is more familiar with his injury and knows it better, and he asked for permission from us. We consulted with our managers and granted permission. He returned yesterday, but the recovery did not go as they wished. The reports came to our doctors. They said that in this condition, he would not have the possibility to play in the Galatasaray match. It was decided that his treatment would continue. Since the treatment started there, they said it should finish there. He also said, 'It would be better if I go again.' We talked to the medical team, and they said it was more appropriate. He returned to his country again. There will be another week of treatment. After that, hopefully, he will be with us. This was not something we expected. I hoped he might make it for this match. But when the reports came back bad yesterday, we were honestly a bit sad, but these things happen in football. Haidara will start training with us as of today. Rivas still cannot join the training. You know Serdar's situation. He will join the training, but there may be a risk of infection or another issue. We will check on that during the week. Darko has already recovered," he stated.
'WE WILL BE THE WINNING SIDE'
The 40-year-old coach responded to a question about whether Galatasaray's match against Ajax in the Champions League tomorrow would provide an advantage to Kocaelispor, saying, "If you fight hard on the field, if you run and struggle as much as they do, you can partially see their physical advantages on the field. Other than that, every match has its own memory, its own story. The Ajax match will be completely different for Galatasaray, and our match will be a different match. Whether playing there and returning affects them physically, I have experienced times when it affected me during my time. Such a Champions League match, the long journey back, would physically affect me at times. Ultimately, Galatasaray has a very large squad. We are not trying to make a connection with the Ajax match. We will try to play our match against Galatasaray with the right game and the right strategy, fighting harder than the opponent. If we reflect all of these correctly on the field, with the support of our fans, we will be the winning side in our own city," he replied.
'I DON'T THINK ABOUT WHO THE OPPONENT IS'
Regarding the statements made by some fans about 'Selçuk İnan, the Galatasaray fan,' the successful coach said, "We have all played football somewhere. We have a past. One of us is Galatasaray's Selçuk, one is Fenerbahçe's Ahmet, one is Beşiktaş's Nurettin, one is Antalya's Ahmet, one is Sakarya's whoever, call it what you want. Everyone says this in all cities. My life, my perspective is different. You know me very well. Thank God, I think I have made this felt to many people in our country, especially in Kocaeli. This is my moment. This is my area, my life. My players are there. I am trying to do whatever is necessary for them to win. I don't think much about who the opponent is. But I have achieved very important successes in my past, I have captained, I have coached. I cannot hide that. Therefore, separating them is now a very professional, very simple thing for us," he said.
'WE WILL DO IMPORTANT WORK'
Kocaelispor's head coach Selçuk İnan, who did not want to share information about the game formation and the measures to be taken against the opponent's game, said, "I do not want to make a statement about the game formation right now because we will be working on it throughout the week. Whether there will be a change in formation, you will see that in the match. There is no point in saying it right now. We want to prepare for the Galatasaray match in the best way. For the first time in 16 years, a derby will be played. I think we should enjoy this, take pleasure in it. A festive atmosphere will be created throughout the city on Sunday. Let's show our struggle. Hopefully, if we are the winning side as a result, we will have done something very important," he said.