Galatasaray have a small deficit to try and overturn as they host Young Boys in their UEFA Champions League playoff second leg. The Turks will be relying on a solid home record and should have the upper hand over the visitors, who have not been at their best this season.
Galatasaray are trailing in the tie after suffering a 3-2 defeat in last week’s first leg. They came from two goals down to level thanks to Michy Batshuayi’s brace but failed to hold out for the draw and conceded the winner late on.
While manager Okan Buruk will be disappointed to have conceded a late winner, that result will be viewed as a minor blip. Galatasaray have won their two Super Lig matches this season and can channel the performances in those victories.
The task for Young Boys will be to try and protect their advantage after winning the first leg. Joel Monteiro’s first half brace was cancelled out by the Turks before Filip Ugrinic struck the winner four minutes from time.
Manager Patrick Rahmen will be particularly pleased with the result as it was a rare win for Young Boys, who have been far from their best this season. The Swiss side are yet to pick up a single Super League win this season and are currently in the bottom half of the domestic standings.
How the bookies view it: Galatasaray all the way
The bookies have installed Galatasaray as overwhelming favourites with a home win priced at 1/3 by Betfred. A victory for Young Boys is valued at 6/1 while Betfred is also offering 9/2 for a draw.
Head to head: Only two previous meetings
There have been only two previous meetings between Galatasaray and Young Boys. Both teams played out a 1-1 draw in a friendly back in 2016 before the Swiss side claimed a 3-2 victory in last week’s first leg.
Players to watch: Batshuayi to strike again
Batshuayi netted a brace in the first leg and is part of a prolific Galatasaray forward line that includes Mauro Icardi and Baris Yilmaz. All three men can combine to ensure the Turks produce over 1.5 goals at 1/3 with Betfred.
Young Boys have also shown they can hold their own going forward and will be targeting a similar performance to the first leg. With Monteiro and Ugrinic in attack, they could be backed to produce over 0.5 goals at 8/15 by Betfred.
Probable line-ups
Goalkeeper Fernando Muslera and midfielder Dries Mertens were both taken off at halftime in the first leg and are unlikely to feature on Tuesday. Abdulkerim Bardakci is also suspended following a red card while Batshuayi is pushing for a start after scoring off the bench.
Young Boys are still without Lukasz Lakomy, Said Janko and Facinet Conte, who are all sidelined with injury. They are likely to stick to much of the team that started the first leg, with Monteiro and Ugrinic expected to retain their place in the team.
Galatasaray: Guvenc, Jelert, Ahyan, Nelsson, Kohn, Torreira, Sara, Yilmaz, Akturkoglu, Icardi, Batshuayi
Young Boys: Keller, Hadjam, Zoukrou, Camara, Blum, Colley, Lauper, Niasse, Monteiro, Ugrinic, Ganvoula
Anything else catch the eye?
There were five goals in the first leg and another high-scoring encounter could be on the cards. Over 4.5 goals is valued at 5/2 by Betfred, who is also offering odds of 11/10 for over 3.5 goals.
Given their attacking quality, Galatasaray could be backed to score in both halves at 5/6 with Betfred. The Turks are priced at minimal odds for a straight victory, so a win and both teams to score could be considered at 6/4 with Betfred.
This UEFA Champions League match between Galatasaray and Young Boys will be played on Aug 27, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Galatasaray vs Young Boys prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
