Fenerbahçe coach Luis Aragones spoke to the media following his team's 2-1 victory over Eskişehirspor Sunday night. The coach despite the victory, he's not pleased with his team's performance. He also said that his team is motivated, but they'll need to play better football if they are to get back into the title hunt.

Coach Luis Aragones didn't sound like a winning coach Sunday night. After his team's 2-1 victory, Aragones said he wasn't happy with his team's performance against Eskişehirspor.

"I don't like the style of football that was played," Aragones said. "I've already expressed this before - the fact that I don't like long balls. They intercepted all the long passes that were intended for our forwards," he said.

Aragones told reporters that his team was motivated to win the game, but he said they should have won by a greater margin. "We had more chances than they did, so I feel like we won in a fair way. If a team walks on to the pitch with this much anxiety, it's not possible for them to play well," he said. "Maybe we won the match, but we could have won by a much greater margin," Aragones told reporters.

"I don't know why our players were so angry, but they were. Every team that has the goal of winning the championship has motivation," Aragones said. "We also have the necessary motivation, but it's not enough to win the championship. You need to play well, achieve good results, and win matches," he said. "With eight matches to go, every team has a shot to win the championship. We know we also still have a chance."

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Dani Güiza may have finally found his rhythm with Fenerbahçe. The Spanish striker scored in his second straight league match on Sunday to help the Canaries to a 2-1 victory against visiting Eskişehirspor. Fener built a 2-0 lead but held on after a late Eskişehir goal to grab three crucial points in week 26.

Fenerbahçe coach Luis Aragones was without several key players on Sunday, most notably team captain Alex de Souza and defender Diego Lugano. Spanish midfielder Josico got the start on Sunday, and Gökhan Gönül also was in the coach's first eleven after being a gametime decision. He suffered an injury last week and had missed the team's most recent training sessions.

The first half started with both teams having opportunities. Deivid de Souza got a good look ten minutes in with a shot from the middle that sailed high to open the Fener opportunities. Eskişehirspor would get a good look six minutes later with a cross from the right to Souleymane Youla, but the pass led the star too far in front and he couldn't connect.

The first great opportunity for the Canaries came in the 22nd minute. On a Fener attack, goalkeeper Vanja Ivesa came out to defend with Uğur Boral and Deivid de Souza on the break. Uğur was able to get the ball past Ivesa to find an open goal, but the Eskişehirspor defense was able to recover just in time to clear the ball and prevent the goal. The visitors would follow that up with attacks of their own, getting two attempts on goal in a one-minute span just moments later. They would continue to utilize star Souleymane Youla on the attack and nearly set up the first goal, but Selçuk Şahin made a fantastic tackle to kill the attack.

The first half was characterized by sloppy passing by the home side, but both teams had opportunities to score early on. The positioning by the Eskişehirspor defenders was superb throughout the first half, able to prevent the Canaries from setting up many good looks in the first 45 minutes. After an unproductive first half, the two teams went into the break scoreless.

The second half opened with Eskişehir nearly finding an open goal like the Canaries did in the first half. With Volkan Demirel out to defend, a header bouncing toward goal was cleared just in time by Yasin Çakmak to prevent the game's first goal in the 48th minute. Çakmak replaced defender Edu Dracena, who left the game with a foot injury. Edu's injury would be followed a few minutes later by one to Uğur Boral. In the 50th minute, the midfielder collided with a defender on a Fener attempt and left the game with a laceration to his eyebrow.

In the 58th minute, the Canaries would finally get on the scoreboard. On the attack, a Roberto Carlos cross from the left found Deivid de Souza in the box who flipped the ball past Ivesa to put the Canaries up 1-0. Fener looked significantly sharper in the second half, limiting the visitors' chances to a few looks by Engin Baytar, while creating a much more productive offense themselves. Eskişehir nearly equalized in the 84th minute, however. Gökhan Emreciksin cleared an Eskişehir attempt, but a resulting bicycle kick hit the top of the net as it just cleared the goal.

The Canaries would seal the win in the 87th minute. Dani Güiza, coming off a fantastic performance for the Spanish National Team last week, would score his second goal in as many league matches for the Canaries. On a long pass from Semih Şentürk, the Spaniard found himself open on the left side with no one but the goalkeeper to beat. Güiza slid the ball past Ivesa into the right side of the net, making it a 2-0 match.

With only moments remaining in regulation, Eskişehirspor would make it interesting. A corner for the visitors found Batuhan Karadeniz in the box for a header, cutting the Canaries' lead in half. With four minutes of stoppage time added on, the home side would hang on for a 2-1 lead and a crucial three points in league play. The team now looks ahead to the world's biggest derby next weekend. They'll travel across the Bosphorous to take on Galatasaray at Ali Sami Yen Stadium next Sunday.

STADIUM: Şükrü Saraçoğlu

REFEREES: Bülent Yıldırım , Muharrem Yılmaz , Nihat Mızrak

FENERBAHÇE: Volkan Demirel, Roberto Carlos, Edu Dracena (Yasin Çakmak - 46th ), Önder Turacı, Gökhan Gönül, Josico (Deniz Barış - 55th ), Selçuk Şahin, Uğur Boral (Gökhan Emreciksin - 58th ), Dani Güiza, Semih Şentürk, Deivid de Souza

ESKİŞEHİRSPOR: Ivesa, El Saka (Tayfun - 52nd), Vucko, Koray, Sezgin, Doğa , Emre Toraman (Poljak - 71st), Engin, Batuhan, Serdar (Bülent Kocabey - 79th), Youla

GOALS: Deivid (59th) Güiza (87th) (Fenerbahçe) Batuhan (90+1) (Eskişehirspor)

YELLOW CARDS: Emre Toraman, Engin, Doğa (Eskişehirspor) Önder (Fenerbahçe)

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According to a report this weekend, Fenerbahçe is expected to sign footballers Volkan Demirel and Selçuk Şahin to new deals before the Galatasaray derby. The two will join stars Roberto Carlos, Alex de Souza, and Deivid de Souza as Canaries who have signed new contracts with the club this year. The report also states that administrators have not given up hope of inking defender Diego Lugano to a new deal as well.

Goalkeeper Volkan Demirel and midfielder/defender Selçuk Şahin are close to signing new deals with the club, according to a report this weekend. Turkish newspaper Hurriyet states that the club hopes to sign both sometime next week, preferably before the Galatasaray derby. Both Volkan and Selçuk reportedly had a number of European offers on the table, with Stuttgart and Deportivo both chasing Selçuk recently. Volkan was also believed to be the target of interest from English club Manchester City in recent months.

The report says the club has agreed on most terms with the footballers, with only details to be worked out before making it official. In addition to the two, Fenerbahçe administrators are still hoping to sign defender Diego Lugano. The club has an offer on the table for Lugano, but the Uruguayan star has remained mum on his future plans. A number of Italian clubs, including Juventus and Lazio, have expressed interest in the star, who also holds an Italian passport. Juan Figer, the agent for Lugano, has met with the club on numerous occasions, but he is expected to fly back to Istanbul soon to continue negotiations with the Canaries.

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Fenerbahçe's Şükrü Saraçoğlu Stadium has the honour of hosting the UEFA Cup final this year, on May 20th. It was announced on Friday, that the cup trophy will be brought to Istanbul on April 23rd and will be put on display in various spots around the city.

With 47 days left until the grand finale, UEFA Cup fever has begun heating up Istanbul. The Kadıköy Şükrü Saraçoğlu Stadium will have the honour of hosting the very last UEFA Cup final on May 20th, before the competition changes its name and format next season, when it becomes the UEFA EUROPA League.

The UEFA Cup trophy, therefore, makes its final trip this month when officials from reigning cup winners Zenit St. Petersburg return the trophy to UEFA President Michel Platini. Mr. Platini will entrust the trophy to Istanbul Municipality Mayor Kadir Topbaş in the ceremony that is set to take place on Thursday, April 23rd.

The UEFA Cup trophy will thenafter be put on display in various spots around Istanbul for the general public, until the Cup Final on May 20th.

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Players who were away on national duty have returned back to Samandıra and with just two days to go, the Yellow Canaries continued gearing up for Sunday evening's Turkcell Süper Lig fixture against Eskişehirspor, with a training session on Friday morning. Injured players Alexsandro de Souza and Gökhan Gönül did not take part in today's practice.

Fenerbahçe resumed regular practice with the full squad present in Istanbul's Samandıra, as all the players away on national duty returned back and reported for duty. With two days left before Turkcell Süper Lig Week 26 home fixture against Eskişehirspor, the Yellow Canaries continued gearing up for Sunday's match-up.

Friday morning's practice at the Samandıra Training Facilities began at 11:00 AM with jogging, warm-ups and coordination exercises conducted by trainer Carlos Cascallana. The squad then ended the training session with a full-pitch tactical practice match supervised by coach Luis Aragones.

Injured Canaries captain Alex de Souza and defender Gökhan Gönül did not take part in today's practice, as both players continued to recieve their injury treatments inside the facilities. It was reported that Gökhan Gönül, who has an injury in his right ankle, was to take an MRI scan.

Fenerbahçe will finish preparations for Sunday's Eskişehirspor match with a final training session at Samandıra tomorrow afternoon at 18:30 (6 PM), after which the match squad will go into camp inside the facilities.

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Fenerbahçe star Alex de Souza is out for this weekend's match against Eskişehirspor, according to an announcement by the club on Thursday. In addition, he may be joined by teammate Gökhan Gönül, who was injured in Wednesday's Turkish National Team loss to Spain. Sources within the club say Alex could play this weekend, but he is dangerously close to a suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards, something the club does not want to risk.

Alex is currently dealing with a minor injury he suffered recently. The Brazilian veteran has a muscle strain in his right leg and has missed the team's training sessions this week. He has been undergoing treatment on the leg throughout the week.

Sources close to the team say Alex could be available this weekend, but if he picks up another yellow card, he would be suspended due to acquiring his fourth card. The team and coaching staff don't want to risk such a move this weekend against Eskişehirspor. The team plays in the world's biggest derby next weekend against Galatasaray at Ali Sami Yen, a game Alex cannot afford to miss.

Alex could be joined on the sidelines by teammate Gökhan Gönül this weekend. The midfielder was injured Wednesday in the national team match against Spain. The Fener coaching staff is expected to make a decision on his status later in the weekend.

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Several Fenerbahçe footballers and administrators will appear on the television show 'Var Mısın Yok Musun' this weekend. The popular show will feature stars Roberto Carlos, Alex de Souza, Volkan Demirel, Emre Belözoğlu, Semih Şentürk, Dani Güiza, and others. Fener President Aziz Yıldırım and Vice-President Ali Koç will also make an appearance on the show.

The popular show, hosted by Cem Yılmaz, is the Turkish version of the show 'Deal or No Deal.' The show has featured a number of celebrities this year, most recently Carmen Electra, Christina Aguilera, and rapper 50 Cent.

The footballers will be playing to support a charity on Saturday. All proceeds from their winnings will go to support a foundation for hearing-impaired children.

''Var Mısın Yok Musun' will air Saturday night at 22:00 local time (3 PM EST in the U.S.; 8 PM in the U.K.). The show can be seen live on Show TV and online at www.digiturkwebtv.com.

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