Super Lig is dominated by Istanbul, Turkey's largest city. Like Edinburgh to Glasgow in Scotland, capital city Ankara takes a back seat. Whereas the English Premier League top four became a top six recently, the Big Three in Istanbul are now a Big Four. Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Besiktas are joined by Istanbul Basaksehir.

A fifth Istanbul side, Kasimpasa, float in and out of the top flight. Yet to win the title after 98 years, they are now officially the fifth wheel. Istanbul BK came along in 1990 as Buyuksehir Belediyespor but reformed in 2014 to become Basaksehir. They haven't looked back. The club underwent a major overhaul with significant investment. The blue crest features muted stars in the background and the year of their reformation under a Picasso-esque upper case B. Silver is the colour associated with the revitalised side due to their capability to push for the title but not win it.

Manager Abdullah Avci previously held the national Turkish team job. Before that, he managed the original iteration of the club but remains the only boss for the upgraded version. In his second go-round, there's been no problem attracting talent. Gael Clichy and Gokhan Inler arrived in the first wave. Add in Arda Turan, Emmanuel Adebayor, Demba Ba and Robinho and Avci can't complain his roster isn't well stocked. He can wonder if the club will sign some younger stars. The big names are all in their 30s. Playing out the string, they've begun to run out of energy in the run-in. Worried faces are commonplace lately in the stands at the Fatih Terim Stadium.

One thing a club trying to hold onto their first league title doesn't need is a daily supply of irony. Their stadium is named for a Super Lig and Serie A legend. The problem? Terim is still an active manager. In charge at Galatasaray, he's mounting a serious assault on BK's lead in the table. Following Cimbom's 3-1 victory over Kayserispor yesterday, the gap between first and second is two points pending BK's result against Rizespor today. How do you make the opposing manager feel unwelcome when his name is over the front door?

There is one youngster in the starting XI. Irfan Kahveci is eager to win his first trophy at 23 but no more so than his midfield partner, Emre Belozoglu. Fifteen years the elder, Belozoglu's seen it all in the ancient city, winning the Super Lig title with Fenerbache and Galatasaray a combined six times. He's hoping to make it an Istanbul treble by winning the title with yet another capital club this year.