Turkish top-tier football contest Süper Lig to begin on Friday

Turkey's top-flight football competition Trendyol Süper Lig will return to action on Friday after a 65-day hiatus.

The 2022-23 season ended on June 7 as record holders Galatasaray from Istanbul won the domestic title for the 23rd time in history.

The 2023-24 Trendyol Süper Lig will kick off with the match between Trabzonspor and Antalyaspor in the Black Sea province of Trabzon. It will start at 1800GMT.

The 20-club Super Lig campaign, which will be held for 38 matchdays, will end on May 19, 2024, nearly a month before the UEFA EURO 2024.

The first half of the league will end with matchday 18 on Dec. 25.

The second half will start on Jan. 5 and run through May 19. This season, the league's second half will see 20 matchdays.

A total of 380 matches will be played.

Four clubs, who will complete the season in 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th spots, will be relegated to a lower division Trendyol 1st Lig.

There are 20 clubs from 12 provinces in the league's 66th season.

Eight of 20 are the Istanbul teams: Besiktas, Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, RAMS Basaksehir, Kasimpasa, VavaCars Fatih Karagumruk, Istanbulspor, and Pendikspor.

Big games, derby weeks

The Trendyol Super Lig's first big match will be played between Galatasaray and Trabzonspor in the match week two.

Meanwhile the first derby of the season will be held between Galatasaray and Besiktas in the ninth week.

Here are the other derbies:

Week 2: Galatasaray - Trabzonspor

Week 5: Trabzonspor - Besiktas

Week 9: Galatasaray - Besiktas

Week 11: Fenerbahce - Trabzonspor

Week 15: Besiktas - Fenerbahce

Week 18: Fenerbahce - Galatasaray

Foreign player rule still same

The Süper Lig's foreign player rule is still the same this season as the clubs can man maximum eight foreigners in the starting 11.

Three others should be among the substitutes, and only eight foreigners can play at the same time.

A Turkish club is able to register 14 foreign players at most during the 2023-24 football season, and all foreign players can be included in a team's 21-man match squad.

Transfer window

The summer transfer window for the Turkish clubs opened on June 26 and it will close on Sept. 15.

This season's winter transfer window will open in 2024, as the clubs will be again able to sign players between Jan. 11 and Feb. 9.

Opening week in Trendyol Super Lig

Friday

Trabzonspor - Antalyaspor

Saturday

Kasimpasa - MKE Ankaragucu

TUMOSAN Konyaspor - Istanbulspor

Pendikspor - Atakas Hatayspor

Mondi Home Kayserispor - Galatasaray

Sunday

EMS Yapi Sivasspor - Yilport Samsunspor

Yukatel Adana Demirspor - Caykur Rizespor

Fenerbahce - Gaziantep FK

Monday

Corendon Alanyaspor - RAMS Basaksehir???????

VavaCars Fatih Karagumruk - Besiktas