Top 10 things you need to know about Liverpool's Europa League opponents Trabzonspor
Liverpool's Europa League campaign continues apace tomorrow night with the first leg of their qualifying tie with Trabzonspor. But what do we know about the Turkish side?
1) Super Lig side Trabzonspor are based in Trabzon, a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey. Located on the historical Silk Road, it was historically a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries. Much like Toxteth, then.
2) They play at the 19,649-capacity Huseyin Avni Aker Stadium, named for a teacher and regional administrator for education who contributed much to the local sports. Roy Hodgson will be hoping his team aren't given any footballing lessons themselves over the two-legged tie...
3) They were formed following the merger of two fierce local rivals whose fanbase split the city of Trabzon in two: Idmanocagi and Idmangucu. The clubs fought demands to unite from the Turkish Football Federation until they were finally threatened with expulsion from the league in 1967, a thought that will doubtless send shivers down the spines of Liverpool and Everton fans.
4) They're nicknamed Bordo-Mavililer (the Maroon-Blues) after the colours of their home strip. Another source of conflict following that ill-tempered merger, fans initially wanted the newly-formed team to combine their old yellow-red and green-white kits (which would have predated the anti-Glazer brigade by some 40 years). After much wrangling. the two sets of supporters eventually compromised by choosing a colour each that was completely different from their original club's.
5) With six Super Lig titles to their name, they're the most successful Turkish side outside of Istanbul's 'big three': Besiktas, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce. However, as the last of those came in the 1983-4 season, it would be fair to say that Trabzonspor's best days are behind them (who said 'Just like Liverpool's' at the back?)
6) In fact, the purple patch Trabzonspor enjoyed in the mid-70s and mid-80s puts even Liverpool's to shame. From From 1976 to 1984 the Turkish side won a total of 29 trophies, inlcuding (deep breath) six Super Lig titles, eight Turkish Cups, seven Presidential Cups, five Chancellor Cups and the intriguingly named Cyprus Peace Cup.
7) Ahmet Suat Ozyazici is Trabzonspor's Shankly, Paisely and Fagan all rolled into one. He landed 17 of those trophies during his first and most successful spell in charge at the club from 1973-1984, including their first four league titles (not to mention the double in 1976-77).
8) Current boss Senol Gunes is something of a local legend. Not only was he manager of the Turkey side that finished third at the 2002 World Cup, but he also holds Trabzonspor's all-time appearances record, having played in 453 league games. Hami Mandirali is their all-time goal scorer with 212 goals from 416 games. Their current hotshots and men to watch out for at Anfield are recently acquired Columbian striker Teofilo Gutierrez and flying right winger/club captain Ibrahim Yattara.
9) Featuring less prominently on the historical roll of honour is former Arsenal and Everton striker Kevin Campbell, who suffered an unhappy seven month stint there at the end of the '90s. His stay was curtailed when the club president, Mehmet Ali Yilmaz, described Campbell as a "discoloured cannibal" and offered the damning indictment: "We bought him as a goal machine, but he turned out to be a washing machine".
10) They've got form against Liverpool, having notably met the Reds in the 1976-77 European Cup. Trabzonspor won the first leg 1-0, but crashed to a 3-0 defeat at Anfield in the second leg. Liverpool, of course, went on to lift the trophy that year after beating Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1 in the final. We're sure Roy Hodgson would settle for a similar chain of events this time out.