Turkish Süper Lig sides Kayserispor and Sivasspor will go head-to-head in the Turkish Cup final at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium on Thursday.

The 60th domestic cup final in Turkish football history is being dubbed the Anatolian derby with both teams coming from the eponymous region in central Turkey.

While Kayserispor has won the Turkish Cup once, Sivasspor will be making its first-ever appearance in the final, which was first held by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) back in 1962-63.

Kayserispor last won the trophy in the 2007-08 season when it beat Gençlerbirliği in the final in an epic 11-10 penalty shootout, after the stipulated time ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

The central Anatolian team had a mediocre season in the Süper Lig, finishing 14th in the points table with 47 points from 38 matches, with 12 wins, 11 draws and 15 losses.

However, its Turkish Cup campaign has been a different story altogether. Kayserispor beat Turkish heavyweight Fenerbahçe in the round of 16 before seeing off Beşiktaş in the quarterfinals.

In the two-leg semifinal, it played against newly crowned Turkish champions Trabzonspor. After losing the first leg in Trabzon 1-0, it fought back on its home ground, winning the second leg 4-2 to secure a place in the final.

In comparison, Sivasspor has had an above-average season in the Turkish top-tier, finishing 10th in the table with 54 points from 38 matches. It has 14 wins, 12 draws and losses each to its name.

Its road to the Turkish Cup final was also relatively comfortable. It easily cruised past the second-tier side Ankaragücü in the fifth round and the third-tier team Bandırmaspor in the round of 16.

It then edged Fatih Karagümrük and Alanyaspor in the quarters and the semifinal.

Nevertheless, Sivasspor wants to make history by winning the Turkish Cup in its first-ever final appearance.

European football on the line

The Sivas Municipality and the club put together a fleet of over 200 buses to carry Sivasspor fans to Thursday’s final.

The fleet will travel nearly 900 kilometers from the central Anatolian province to reach the venue of the final in Istanbul.

"Let's do our duty so that fans from Sivas can travel to Istanbul to support their team and become the 12th man," Sivas Mayor Hilmi Bilgin said last week.

Both teams faced off in the last week of the Süper Lig season on May 21, with Sivasspor winning the match 2-1.

Club President Mecnun Otyakmaz underlined the importance of the match for Sivasspor.

"This perhaps is our most important match so far and to emerge victorious from this fight, we need to act together and harness the power of unity," he said.

He also pointed out that the final against neighboring Kayseri will be an Anatolian derby, making the matchup even more intriguing.

"Kayseri is our neighboring province and they have a very successful team. Like us, they are also eager to win the Turkish Cup this year. The final will be a crowning moment for Anatolian football.

The winner of the final will also have the opportunity to play European football next season.

The champion team will feature in the Europa League playoffs, to be played from Aug. 18-25, and get a chance to participate in the group stages.

If eliminated in the playoffs, the team will then get a direct berth in the Europa Conference League group stages.

Referee Halil Umut Meler will officiate the final set to kick off at 8:45 p.m. local time (5:45 p.m. GMT).