Our first pre-season outing is against Turkish Süper Lig side Kasımpaşa S.K. Let’s take a look at Tim Walter’s first opposition as Hull City head coach.
History:
Founded on 15 January 1921 as Kasımpaşa Gençik Kulubü, following the merger of two local clubs of Altuntuğ and Kasımpaşa Terbiye-i Bedeniye Kulübü, Kasımpaşa played their first competitive fixture in the 1923/24 campaign. Winning the 2.Lig once and the 3.Lig three times, the club is currently owned by Turgay Ciner, with their president being Mehmet Fatih Saraç.
Playing at the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Stadium, which has a capacity of 14,234, the Apaçiler (Apaches) have had a number of famous names to represent them, including ex-Liverpool forward Ryan Babel, ex-Swedish international Andreas Isaksson and Egyptian forward Trézéguet.
Last season, Kasımpaşa finished fifth in the Süper Lig table on 56 points, winning 16 of 38 games played.
City Connections:
This will be the first meeting between the sides ever, with the game being played behind-closed-doors at TFF Riva.
The only connection between the two sides is ex-Tigers’ boss Shota Arveladze. The former Georgian striker managed Kasımpaşa from 2012 to 2015, managing 91 games and recording 33 victories.
Joining the Tigers seven years later as Head Coach in January 2022, the now 51-year-old managed 30 games in charge of City, winning nine of them.
In the Dugout:
In the dugout for Apaches is 46-year-old Sami Uğurlu. A defender in his playing days, that saw him represent Yozgatspor, Kardemir Karabükspor and İzmirspor, he began his coaching career as a youth coach at Altınordu F.K.
Later moving to Kasımpaşa as an assistant, the 46-year-old became head coach in December 2021. Collecting 39 points in his first 20 games, Uğurlu was rewarded with a three-year contract in May 2022.
Goalkeepers:
We begin our squad analysis in-between the sticks as Kasımpaşa have Greek international Andreas Gianniotis as the main shot stopper. The 31-year-old joined the Turkish side ahead of the 2023/24 season from Greek Super League side Atromitos, keeping eight clean sheets in 31 appearances.
Winning two Super League titles and one Greek Cup with Olympiacos, along with a domestic double of the Israeli Premier League and Super Cup with Maccabi Tel-Aviv, the two-time Super League Greece Goalkeeper of the Season has earned two caps for Greece.
Another goalkeeper option they possess is 26-year-old Ali Emre Yanar, who progressed through the youth systems at Altındağ SK, Bucaspor and Altınordu F.K. Making his senior debut with the latter of the trio, along with two productive loan spells at Niğde Anadolu FK, Yanar transferred to Apaches in August 2023, making his professional debut for the club a month later in a 3-3 draw against Alanyaspor.
Former Türkiye Under-19 international Ramazan Özkanlı has also returned from his loan spell at fourth tier side Nilüfer Belediye FK. The 21-year-old has played 36 times for Kasımpaşa’s Under-19 side, keeping 12 clean sheets.
Defenders:
In the defence, club captain Kenneth Omeruo (pictured above) had a solid first permanent season with the club, following a move from CD Leganés, netting once in 26 games. A former Chelsea and Middlesbrough player, the 30-year-old has won AFCON with Nigeria, in-which he has earned 69 caps for his country.
Ex-Türkiye youth international Sadık Çiftpınar provides an experienced head at the back, featuring over 100 times in the league for Yeni Malatyaspor along with a period with Fenerbahçe S.K.
Youngsters Taylan Utku Aydın and Yasin Özcan are other centre back options, with the latter playing over 50 times for Kasımpaşa, while in the right-back spot, Brazilian Cláudio Winck is the main choice. The 30-year-old has won the Campeonato Gaúcho four times with previous club Internacional.
On the left side, Tunisia international Mortadha Ben Ouanes is the most experienced in the squad, making just short of 250 senior club appearances. Four off his century at Kasımpaşa, the 30-year-old has scored 16 goals and recorded 19 assists for Apaches.
The other left-back option is 17-year-old Adnan Aktaş, who has scored twice in 19 appearances in the Under-19 Süper Lig.
Midfielders:
In midfield, Kasımpaşa possess four defensive midfielders in their squad, with the former Kosovo Footballer of the Year winner Loret Sadiku amongst their ranks. A Swedish Super Cup winner with Helsingborgs IF in 2012, the 32-year-old recently rejoined the club in January 2024, with him featuring over 200 times in the Süper Lig.
Dutch-born Driess Saddiki only featured 11 times in his debut campaign last season, with the ex-Fortuna Sittard and Willem II player joining from Saudi Arabian side Abha Club, while Oğuzhan Yılmaz featured 33 times on loan last year at Ankaraspor.
Ex-German youth Gökhan Gül has four major honours to his name, two internationally and two in his country of birth, winning most notably the Bundesliga 2 with Fortuna Düsseldorf.
Experienced duo Aytaç Kara and Haris Hajradinovic provide over 700 career appearances combined, with the pair of them representing their respective countries at senior level for Türkiye and Bosnia. Hajradinovic has won three domestic leagues in three different countries in Bosnia, Slovakia and Belgium, while 24-year-old Iron Gomis has recently returned from a loan spell in Italy with US Salernitana 1919.
Forwards:
We begin our look into the forwards in the wide positions as both Berat Kalkan and Yasin Eratilla have returned from their respective loan deals. Kalkan, a Macedonia U21 international, featured 10 times for Gostivar while Eratilla, 20, scored twice in 14 appearances for Ayvalikgücü Belediyespor.
On the right, Senegal international Mamadou Fall has scored 20 goals in 91 appearances since making the switch from Belgian side R.C.S.C in January 2022. Istanbul-born youngster Emirhan Yiğit has featured four times for the first team after impressing at Under-19s level.
On the opposite flank, Erdem Çetinkaya has played 135 games of senior football in Türkiye at the age of 23. A former Türkiye Under-19 international, the Ankara-born winger recorded three assists in one game for Kasımpaşa last season, a 4-1 win over Kirsehir FSK in the fourth round of the Türkiye Kupasi.
A player to have played football in England is striker Nuno da Costa (pictured above facing QPR). Featuring 14 times for Nottingham Forest between 2020 and 2022, the Cape Verde international previously won the French League Cup with RC Strasbourg and has netted 14 goals in 31 appearances for Kasımpaşa.
Netting 17 goals in 57 Under-19 Süper Lig appearances, youth prospect Sarp Yavrucu is a potential option to feature along with Türkiye Under-21 international Ali Demirel, who scored twice in 20 appearances with 1461 Trabzon FK.