Babeş-Bolyai University Stadium is expected to be buzzing on Thursday evening with the arrival of mighty Barcelona, who are coming to Istanbul as guests of Galatasaray in their round of 16 UEFA Europa League tie with kickoff at 8:45 pm.
To make things more fun for its fans, Galatasaray held FC Barcelone to a scoreless draw at the Camp Nou seven days ago, leaving the teams’ rematch in Istanbul very much up in the air.
Galatasaray’s 2 – 1 victory over arch-rivals Besiktas is one of the biggest derbies Turkish football has to offer on Monday afternoon was a welcome tonic after a lackluster start to the new season. Midfielder Kerem Akturkoglu scored twice, and all eyes will be on him ahead of this clash against the Spaniards.
All smiles in Barcelona camp after a comprehensive victory over Osasuna. Starlet Ousmane Dembele provided another fantastic performance with three assists, while Ferran Torres completed a brace. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was also on the scoreline for Xavi’s troops.
Barcelona has won five and drawn one in the last six matches across competitions. In four of those matches, they scored four or more goals. Barcelona is dominant in the first leg, and it’s fair to say that they deserve a win at Camp Nou. Can Barcelona capitalize on their dominance in the return fixture in Istanbul?
Galatasaray vs Barcelona Head to Head
Both sides have one game against each other which ended in a goalless draw. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Galatasaray 2-1 Besiktas
- Barcelona 0-0 Galatasaray
- Konyaspor 2-0 Galatasaray
- Galatasaray 4-2 Caykur
- Goztepe 2-3 Galatasaray
Away
- Barcelona 4-0 Osasuna
- Barcelona 0-0 Galatasaray
- Elche 1-2 Barcelona
- Barcelona 4-0 Athletic Club
- Napoli 2-4 Barcelona
Galatasaray Team News
Gala could name an unchanged line-up for their Champions League last 16 ties against Barcelona.Sofiane Feghouli was substituted at half-time in the Istanbul giants’ 2-1 win over Besiktas on Monday, but head coach Fatih Terim says that is not necessarily because of injury.
Barcelona Team News
No Barcelona players are expected to be unavailable for the trip to Turkey, with Ansu Fati, Samuel Umtiti, and Sergi Roberto missing. Dani Alves was not registered for Barça’s Europa League squad, so Sergio Dest is expected to stay in the side.
Prediction and Odds
The difference in quality between these two teams is vast and we expect the visitors to affirm that on the pitch and win by a wide margin without too much difficulty on Thursday in Istanbul.
- Barcelona Win
- HT/FT – Barcelona
- Aubameyang to Score
