Galatasaray have been one of the most impressive teams in this season's UEFA Europa League and if they rack up another victory on the road against AZ Alkmaar it would see them plant one foot in the last 16.
The Turks wanted to be sitting at Europe's top table but had to settle for a place in the second-tier competition after a surprise loss to Young Boys in the Champions League qualifiers.
Galatasaray have shown they probably are Champions League class by winning three of their four Europa League games so far and drawing the other. But they still aren't among the favourites to lift the trophy and can be backed at tempting 14/1 with most firms.
I tipped the Turks to beat a weakened Spurs side in their last outing and they duly delivered, with the 3-2 scoreline flattering Ange Postecoglou's men as Galatasaray blew so many chances.
They now face an AZ Alkmaar side who lost 1-0 to Tottenham in London and also crashed 2-0 to Athletic Club in Bilbao. But the Dutch side have been strong at home and will fancy their chances after beating Elfsborg and another Turkish giant in Fenerbahce.
How the bookies view it: Galatasaray to keep rolling
With Galatasaray so impressive so far in the Europa League, Betano make them favourites for this one at 6/5. AZ Alkmaar are priced at 9/5 and the draw pays 13/5.
Head to head: Turks are out of Dutch
These sides have never faced off before in Europe but Galatasaray don't have a great record against Dutch opposition, losing six of their eight games and winning the other two. All those matches came against PSV Eindhoven.
Players to watch: Osimhen a cut above
Galatasaray pulled off a transfer coup by landing Victor Osimhen on loan when the Napoli striker was being coveted by Europe's biggest clubs. The Nigerian scored two crackers in the win over Spurs and is 23/20 at Betano for another goal here.
Irish striker Troy Parrot seems to be thriving at AZ Alkmaar after finally finding a permanent home after a series of loan moves during his time at Spurs. He has netted eight goals this season and is 13/10 at Betano for anytime scorer.
Probable line-ups
Kristijan Belic and Ibrahim Sadiq are doubts for AZ Alkmaar while goalkeeper Rome Jayden Owusu-Oduro is ruled out. Galatasaray's Argentinian star Mauro Icardi is out for the season while Ismail Jakobs is also sidelined. But Davinson Sanchez returns from a domestic suspension.
AZ Alkmaar: Zoet, Penetra, Maikuma, Dekker, Mees de Wit, Koopmeiners, Mijnans, Lahdo, Kwakman, Parrott, Addai.
Galatasaray: Muslera, Sanchez, Ayhan, Bardakci, Sara, Torreira, Yilmaz, Ziyech, Mertens, Akgun, Osimhen.
Anything else catch the eye?
Galatasaray play at a ferocious pace and their Europa League games have all been thrillers, with an average of five goals across their four outings. BTTS has also landed in every match so backing goals galore looks like a smart move.
Over 3.5 goals looks good at 6/4 with Betano and I also fancy over 1.5 first-half strikes, which pays 11/8 at Bet365.
AZ Alkmaar's clash with Fenerbahce was pretty fiery, with eight yellow cards dished out. The ref could also be busy for this one with Galatasaray pressing high so it could pay to back a high number of booking points when that market is finally priced up.
This UEFA Europa League match between AZ Alkmaar and Galatasaray will be played on Nov 28, 2024 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best AZ Alkmaar vs Galatasaray prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
