Derby Time in Turkmenistan
The top-flight of football in Turkmenistan, also known as the Yokary Liga, is set to resume play on 19 April.
And it is only fitting that a derby will be taking place in the capital city of Ashgabat between defending champion Altyn Asyr and Kopetdag.
Altyn Asyr dominated the Yokary Liga in 2019 with nineteen wins, six draws, and three losses to top the table with sixty-three points.
Things didn’t go so well for Kopetdag with eleven wins, six draws, and eleven draws. Looking back, one can basically say that there were too many draws.
But when referring to the history of Turkmen football, this will be a very intriguing match because both teams have been champions six times.
Yet it is important to point out that Kopetdag’s grasp on the Yokary Liga has dwindled because Altyn Asyr is on a streak and has won the league six years in a row going back to 2014.
Ironically, the previous streak was four titles in a row when Kopetdag won the league fours years in a row from 1992 to 1995.
The bottom line is that the stakes are high and both teams will be hungry for a victory when the two teams face off at Ashgabat Stadium.
Online bookmaker Bet365 has the latest odds and currently Altyn Asyr is favored with 1/6 odds while Kopetdag is the heavy underdog with 10/1 odds and the odds for a draw are 5/1.
The bookies aren’t giving Kopetdag much of a chance and it makes sense because Altyn Asyr was unstoppable in 2019.
In fact, runners-up Ahal finished the season nineteen points behind Altyn Asyr in the table.
I must say that I never saw myself writing about the top flight of football in Turkmenistan, but football is football and I will looking forward to see if Kopetdag will be able to pull off the upset or come away with a point.
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