JAKARTA - Turkish giant Galatasaray will host Italian representatives, Juventus, in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs to compete for a ticket to the last 16. The match will be held in Istanbul, Tuesday night local time, February 17 or Wednesday morning 18 February.
Galatasaray advanced to the knockout phase for the first time in the last 12 years. Even though they closed the league phase with a 0-2 defeat to Manchester City, they still qualified in 20th place in the standings after collecting enough points.
Gala's European performance has been inconsistent, with only three wins from the last 14 continental matches. However, they have risen in all competitions by winning four consecutive victories and scoring 15 goals. Captain Mauro Icardi has been sharp with five goals, including a hat-trick when destroying Eyupspor 5-1 in the Super League.
In the domestic competition, Okan Buruk's team leads the Super Lig standings with a three-point advantage and has the opportunity to retain the title. Buruk, who was part of the legendary squad that won the 2000 UEFA Cup and beat Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup, now aspires to take Gala further in Europe.
This match is Galatasaray's 200th match in the Cup/League Champions. At home, they have only lost once in the last 11 European matches and have almost always scored in the last 18 matches.
Meanwhile, Juventus finished 13th in the league phase with 13 points, seven levels above Galatasaray, after drawing 0-0 with Monaco in the last game. Although it routinely reaches the knockout phase in 10 of the last 12 seasons, Juve is experiencing a negative trend in the elimination round, losing the last five ties since eliminating Atletico Madrid in 2019.
Coach Luciano Spalletti has recorded 10 wins from his last 16 matches in the Champions League with Inter, Napoli, and now Juventus. Since his arrival in November, Juve are unbeaten in five matches, with three consecutive clean sheets, although away form is still a weakness.
Last weekend, Juventus lost 2-3 to Inter Milan in the Derby d'Italia at San Siro, a result that disrupted their ambitions to break into the top four of Serie A.
Okan Buruk has to decide whether to play the sharp duet of Mauro Icardi and Victor Osimhen from the start or take a more cautious approach. Osimhen only needs two more goals to equal the club's record in a single Champions League campaign.
Mario Lemina is absent due to suspension, while Metahan Baltaci is also unavailable due to sanctions related to a betting scandal. Leroy Sane has returned to full training and has a chance to appear, along with new recruit Noa Lang. Gabriel Sara could be brought down to strengthen the midfield, with Ilkay Gundogan pushed more offensively.
At Juventus, Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik are still injured. Khephren Thuram is expected to recover from a bone bruise that kept him out of the Derby d'Italia. Without Vlahovic, Jonathan David is likely to be the lone striker, supported by Kenan Yildiz who has been creative this season.
Galatasaray is in impressive form, especially at home with nine wins and no losses in the Super Lig this season. The atmosphere of the fanatic Istanbul can be a determining factor.
Juventus is more experienced on the European stage, but the vulnerability in away games and the leakage of the back line recently has the potential to be exploited by the hosts.
Predicted Starting XI
Galatasaray: Cakir; Sallai, Bardakci, Sanchez, Jakobs; Torreira, Sara; Sane, Gundogan, Yilmaz; Osimhen
Juventus: Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Koopmeiners; Conceicao, McKennie, Yildiz; David
Prediction: Galatasaray 2-1 Juventus
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