Wed 01 October 2014, 11:55
Tottenham HotspurA few facts and stats on Besiktas JK ahead of our Europa League Group C clash at White Hart Lane on Thursday night.
The basics - Besiktas JK were formed in 1903, nicknamed Kara Kartal (The Black Eagles) and based in Istanbul, Turkey.
Honours - Besiktas have won 13 Turkish titles, the latest in 2009 and nine Turkish Cups, the latest in 2011.
We've met before - Goals from Hossam Ghaly and Dimitar Berbatov secured a 2-0 win in the group stage of the then-UEFA Cup in Istanbul October, 2006.
This season - Besiktas kicked-off this season's European campaign in the Champions League qualifiers. They beat Feyenoord 5-2 over two legs in the third qualifying round - Demba Ba hit a hat-trick in the second leg - but lost out 1-0 over two legs to Arsenal in the play-off.
Europa League opener - Besiktas drew 1-1 against Asteras Tripolis in Matchday One, Gokhan Tore on target.
On the domestic front - Besiktas remain unbeaten after four games in the Turkish SuperLig league this season.
Last time out - Besiktas were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Eskisehirspor on Saturday.
Familiar faces - As well as former Newcastle and Chelsea striker Ba, Besiktas are managed by Slaven Bilic, the Croatian legend who played at Everton and West Ham.
Group stage history - This is Besiktas' sixth group stage campaign in this competition - they failed to make it through three UEFA Cup group stages but have progressed on both attempts since the advent of the UEFA Europa League.
Record against English clubs - Besiktas' UEFA club competition record in England is W2 D0 L5; in London it is W1 D0 L1 – they beat Chelsea 2-0 in 2003 but lost 1-0 at Arsenal in August.
Played for both - Our former striker and coach Les Ferdinand spent time on loan at Besiktas during his early career at QPR in 1989, scoring 14 times in 24 games.
English-led success - Besiktas' most successful era came under the management of Gordon Milne, when they won three consecutive league championships in the early 90s. Capped 14 times by England, Milne was best known for playing for Liverpool during the 1960s, where he made more than 250 appearances and won two league titles and the FA Cup.
Istanbul in December - We will meet Besiktas again in the final group fixture on December 11.
Stadium change - Due to the construction of a new stadium, Besiktas have been playing their home games since 2013 at Ataturk Stadium, which hosted the 2005 Champions League Final famously won by Liverpool on penalties against AC Milan. Historically, Besiktas home ground was Inonu Stadium, located near the Bosphorus and Taksim Square, with a capacity of 32,000. That was the venue for our match in 2006. They are currently building the Vodafone Arena on this site.
