After nine consecutive commanding victories since the start of the season, Barcelona look as though they simply cannot go wrong. Galatasaray are still struggling to find consistency, and it looks set to be a tough evening in Istanbul.
Galatasaray returned from the break with a comfortable home win over Kasimpasa, but they are unlikely to have forgotten the heavy defeats suffered nearly a month ago before the international window.
Home form has always been the Lions’ main strength, as we can recall their victories over Liverpool and Juventus during last season’s Champions League campaign. This year’s campaign began with a heavy 3–1 defeat away to Sporting, with their goal coming from an own goal rather than a result of their own good play.
Whatever we say about Barcelona will be an understatement. Nine wins from nine matches in all competitions and a total of 39 goals scored. These are statistics that can only be compared to Bayern Munich’s start a year ago.
Barca have scored at least three goals in eight of their nine wins so far, and in the first round of the Champions League they thrashed Feyenoord 5–1.
There is room for improvement in their defensive play, but as long as they continue to score so many goals in every match, one could argue that the few goals conceded are not all that significant.
How the bookies view it: Barca will tame the Lions
There is currently no basis for comparison between the two teams, and this is clearly reflected in the bookmakers’ odds.
At the moment, you can back Galatasaray at 15/2, a draw at 6/1, or Barcelona at 1/4.
Recent head-to-head: Barcelona are undefeated since 1994
Galatasaray and Barcelona have had some memorable encounters in this competition since the 1990s, but they last met in the Europa League in 2022. On that occasion, Barcelona progressed after a 0–0 draw at home and a 2–1 win away at this stadium.
The overall picture shows total dominance for the Spanish giants, with six wins to Galatasaray’s one in a total of 10 head-to-head matches (3 draws).
Players to watch: Gabriel Jesus makes every minute count
Victor Osimhen is the man all the home fans are looking to, with their star striker having scored seven goals in 10 Champions League matches for Galatasaray.
But even at his very best, Osimhen is no match for Lamine Yamal’s current form. The 19-year-old superstar has 12 goals and 8 assists in 13 matches since the start of the season.
Separately, we can look to Gabriel Jesus, who is getting more playing time due to Raphinha’s injury. So far, he has scored three goals this season in just 119 minutes of playing time in total.
Probable line-ups
Galatasaray: Cakir, Sallai, Sanchez, Jakobs, Elmali, Sara, Torreira, Akgun, Batrakov, Sane, Yilmaz
Barcelona: Garcia, Cancelo, Martin, Cubarsi, Kounde, Olmo, Rodri, Pedri, Adeyemi, Jesus, Yamal
Anything else catch the eye?
Sooner or later, Barcelona will slip up, but Galatasaray don’t look solid enough at the back to be the team that will trip them up.
In my view, we’re in for yet another high-scoring thriller featuring Barca, but I expect the Lions to score at least once at home. The visitors’ defence often lets up once they’ve established a comfortable lead, having conceded six goals in their last five matches.
GambleAware