Barcelona travel to Istanbul on Tuesday 13 October (kick-off 8 pm BST, 10 pm local) to face a Galatasaray side still seeking its first Champions League point, with the visitors on five straight wins but without Raphinha, and the hosts welcoming Victor Osimhen back. Opta gives Barcelona a 68.9% chance, Galatasaray 13.4%.
Form & what’s at stake
Barcelona beat Feyenoord 5-1 on matchday one, sit third in the table, and lead La Liga; under Hansi Flick, they have scored 80 goals in 27 Champions League games, an average of 2.96 per match. That is a remarkable rate.
Galatasaray lost 3-1 to Sporting CP on matchday one and are 29th, though they beat Kasımpaşa 3-1 at the weekend thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Lemina; Opta points out they have won only one of their last 22 against Spanish opposition.
The table makes the stakes plain. Barcelona can take an early grip on the top eight, while Galatasaray need points soon to avoid being dragged into the playoff scramble.
Team news & injuries
Raphinha is out. Flick said it is not a diagnosed injury but a precaution, as the Brazilian had three injuries last year and picked up swelling in his right thigh during Brazil’s friendly in Australia. Andreas Christensen is still injured, and Roony Bardghji and Frenkie de Jong appear on some absence lists. Joan García has recovered and is expected to return in goal, and Lamine Yamal is expected to start.
Galatasaray are optimistic about Osimhen, who missed more than a month with a groin problem and returned at the weekend, and their staff say he is ready. Wilfried Singo and Lesley Ugochukwu are out.
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Editorial Score
Screenshots
Predicted line-ups
Galatasaray (4-2-3-1): Çakır – Yilmaz, Sanchez, Bardakci, Jakobs – Torreira, Lemina – Akgun, Batrakov, Leão – Osimhen.
Barcelona (4-3-3): Joan García – Cancelo, Martin, Cubarsí, Garcia – Pedri, Rodri, Fermin – Adeyemi, Gabriel Jesus, Lamine Yamal
Galatasaray vs Barcelona Predictions & tips
Barcelona are better, deeper and in form. Galatasaray will make noise for 25 minutes, and the Istanbul crowd always makes it hard, but after that, class tells.
Tip: Barcelona to win and over 2.5 goals. Predicted score: Galatasaray 1-3 Barcelona.
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