Molde welcome Galatasaray to Aker Stadion for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League playoff tie. While the Norwegians have done well to reach this stage, this clash represents a major step-up in quality and they are expected to fall short against the Turkish giants.
Molde booked their place in the Champions League playoffs after seeing off Faroe Islands side 3-2 on aggregate in the previous round. They suffered a 2-1 defeat in the first meeting and needed extra-time before claiming a 2-1 win in the second leg.
The Norwegians have come through two rounds of Champions League qualifiers but have looked slightly erratic. Erling Moe’s men have claimed two wins and suffered two defeats from four matches, relying on home soil to give them the upper hand.
Molde’s erratic showings in recent weeks have spread across all competitions as they have claimed just two wins in their last five matches. They head into Wednesday’s clash off the back of a 0-0 draw with Valarenga in a domestic fixture last weekend.
Galatasaray did the double over Olimpija to secure a place in Wednesday’s clash. They ran out 3-0 winners in the first meeting before returning to Turkey for a 1-0 victory in the second leg with Mauro Icardi getting the goal.
Like Molde, Galatasaray have come through two rounds of qualifiers to reach the playoffs, although they are yet to taste defeat in four matches. Having begun their campaign with a 2-2 draw with Zalgiris, Okan Buruk’s men have gone on to win the other three matches, keeping clean sheets in all three fixtures.
Galatasaray have also looked sharp domestically and are yet to taste defeat after two Super Lig matches. They travel to Aker Stadion off the back of a 2-0 victory over Trabzonspor last weekend with Icardi getting both goals.
How the bookies view it
Galatasaray have a slight edge among the bookies and are priced at 6/4 by bet365 to claim the win. A victory for Molde is valued at 9/5 with BoyleSports while a draw is set at odds of 5/2 with William Hill.
Head to head
This will be the first ever meeting between Molde and Galatasaray.
Players to watch
Mauro Icardi is enjoying a fine start to the season for Galatasaray and has scored three goals in his last two matches across all competitions. The Argentine striker could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime at 17/10 with Paddy Power.
Galatasaray’s early season form has been built on a solid defence that has kept clean sheets in the last five matches across all competitions. Victor Nelsson has been a rock at the heart of the backline and can lead the Turks to another clean sheet at 12/5 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Galatasaray have won to nil in their last three Champions League matches and a similar outcome is priced at 15/4 with BetVictor. Having earned a 3-0 victory in their previous away fixture in the competition, a -1 handicap can also be considered at 4/1 with Paddy Power.
The Turkish giants have opened the scoring in their last three Champions League matches and can be tipped to grab the first goal on Wednesday at 10/11 with Coral.
This UEFA Champions League match between Molde and Galatasaray will be played on Aug 23, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Molde vs Galatasaray prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
