The Türkiye's Spor Toto Süper Lig, which had been heating up with anticipation just prior to the 14th-week matchday on Nov. 13, took an extended break to make way for the World Cup and even before the pause, the top-tier teams were vying for the nation's most coveted football prize, each hoping to add some extra flair to their respective campaigns.
The 15th week of the Süper Lig season will begin on Dec. 23, setting the stage for a highly anticipated showdown between two of the league’s giants, Trabzonspor and Fenerbahçe.
Despite going into the break atop the standings, Fenerbahçe were indebted to their talismanic goalkeeper, who had been instrumental in preserving their lead with a series of spectacular saves.
However, the Yellow Canaries were not alone in having a netminder who proved to be an unassailable obstacle between their opponents and the goal.
In fact, according to Comparisonator's data, Bilal Bayazit, Kayserispor's 23-year-old shot-stopper, had the most saves of any goalkeeper in the Süper Lig up until the break, solidifying his standing as one of the premier shot-stoppers in the game with 60 saves.
Bilal is closely tracked by Erce Kardeşler, who swapped Trabzonspor's color for Hatayspor's at the start of the season, registering an impressive 59 saves.
Gaziantep's masterful goalkeeper Günay Güvenç is currently ranked third on the list with an impressive tally of 56 saves.
It is remarkable that three of the most prominent goalkeepers in Turkish football, Trabzonspor's Uğurcan Çakır, Beşiktaş's Ersin Destanoğlu and Fenerbahçe's Altay Bayındır, have not made the cut for the top 10 goalkeepers who have made the most saves.
Galatasaray's Uruguayan goalkeeper Fernando Muslera earned himself an impressive seventh place spot in the league rankings, having accumulated an astounding 43 saves.
Despite not making the top-10 cut, Uğurcan Çakır reigns supreme as the most expensive goalkeeper of the Turkish Süper Lig with a staggering 14 million euro ($14.86 million) price tag.
He is closely followed by Altay Bayındır, who boasts a value of 13 million euros.
Hot on his heels is the talented Ersin Destanoğlu, whose worth is estimated at 9 million euros in the third spot.
Uğurcan Çakır, the reliable glove of Trabzonspor, has featured in 11 Super League matches this season, conceding 16 times.
Altay Bayındır found himself on the receiving end of conceding 14 goals in 13 matches.
Ersin Destanoğlu, who had been deprived of the opportunity to feature for Beşiktaş after the Şenol Güneş era, was forced to concede 11 goals in nine games but managed to stand between the posts three times.