The new Turkish Super Lig season gets underway with title holders Galatasaray making the trip to Gaziantep for the opening fixture at Kalyon Stadyumu. The hosts are looking to shake off a poor preseason, but face the champions, who do not appear to be slowing down at the moment.
Gaziantep had a tough time last season, finishing 14th in the table after failing to win any of their final seven Super Lig matches. Ismet Tasdemir's team also struggled to find some rhythm in front of their fans and are winless in their last three home matches in the league.
Those struggles appear to have extended into preseason having failed to win their two friendly matches. They were beaten 3-2 by Kayserispor before playing out a 0-0 draw with Alanyaspor in their final warm-up fixture.
Galatasaray breezed through the league last season, claiming a third straight Super Lig title and 25th league crown overall. They were unbeaten in preseason, picking up four wins and drawing 2-2 with Lazio in their final friendly.
Okan Buruk's men have been almost unstoppable lately and are unbeaten in 19 of their last 20 matches in all competitions. Prior to the draw with Lazio, they had picked up 15 straight wins, including victories in their last four Super Lig away matches.
How the bookies view it: Galatasaray overwhelming favourites
Galatasaray are heavily fancied to kick off the new season with a win, with BoyleSports offering odds of 1/3 for a victory for the champions. An unlikely victory for Gaziantep is valued at 6/1 while a draw is priced at 15/4.
Head to head: Superior Galatasaray
This fixture has been one-sided over the years, with Galatasaray earning 10 wins and two draws from 13 matches while Gaziantep have picked up just one victory. The champions won the two meetings last season, claiming a 3-1 home victory in the first clash before a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture.
Players to watch: Osimhen back in the fold
Having made his deal with Galatasaray permanent, Osimhen will be keen to build on the 26 goals scored in his debut season. With Baris Yilmaz and Yunus Akgun also impressive going forward, the hosts could be backed to produce over 1.5 goals – valued at 1/3 with BoyleSports.
For Gaziantep, captain Alexandru Maxim remains key, having chipped in with seven goals last season. Deian Sorescu also had 11 goal contributions last term, and both men could combine to produce over 0.5 goals for the hosts (Gaziantep over 0.5 goals – offered at 4/7).
Probable line-ups
Mustafa Burak Bozan is tipped to start in goal for Gaziantep, with Arda Kızıkdag and Myenty Abena likely to anchor the back line. Kacper Kozlowski and Juninho Bacuna are expected to form the midfield base, while the attacking trio of Sorescu, Maxim, and Emmanuel Boateng should lead the charge going forward.
For Galatasaray, the post-Fernando Muslera era begins with Gunay Guvenc set to start in goal. The centre-back pairing of Abdulkerim Bardakcı and Davinson Sanchez looks likely, while Torreira and Mario Lemina are expected to control midfield. In attack, all eyes will be on new arrivals Leroy Sane and Osimhen, both of whom are expected to start as part of a fearsome forward line.
Gaziantep: Bozan, M’Bakata, Abena, Kizikdag, Rodrigues; Kozlowski, Bacuna, Sorescu, Maxim, Kulasin, Boateng
Galatasaray: Guvenc, Ayhan, Sanchez, Bardakci, Jakobs; Lemina, Torreira, Yilmaz, Sara, Sane, Osimhen
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams have scored in two of their last three meetings (BTTS YES – priced at 7/10 with BoyleSports). Four of Galatasaray’s last five matches have produced over 3.5 goals – available at odds of 6/5.
The visitors have scored in both halves in their last five matches (Galatasaray to score in both halves – set at odds of 10/11). Given the minimal odds for a straight victory for the champions, a win and both teams to score offers more value ( Galatasaray win & BTTS YES – valued at 17/10).
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