Tottenham Hotspur's most-recent visit to İstanbul a decade ago saw them beaten by Beşiktaş, but this time they make the journey, in excess of 1,553 miles, east confident of claiming victory.
Galatasaray vs Tottenham Hotspur Preview
Can Tottenham continue their perfect start to this Europa League campaign? So far, Spurs are one of just three teams to boast maximum points in this competition, alongside Lazio and Anderlecht. Ange Postecoglou's side first smashed Qarabağ 3-0, despite being down to ten-men, and then overcame Ferencváros 2-1 in Budapest, before Richarlison's second half spot-kick was enough to down AZ a fortnight ago.
The Lilywhites are, of course, two-times winners of this competition, hoisting the trophy aloft in 1972 and 1984, now desperately seeking to end their 17-year trophy draught, with this tournament a realistic opportunity in which to achieve that. In the last week or so, Spurs have claimed two vital home victories, first dumping Manchester City out of the EFL Cup before, on Sunday, fighting back from a goal down to defeat Aston Villa 4-1 in the Premier League, climbing up to seventh. Now, on the European side of the Bosporus Strait, will Tottenham's winning streak continue?
Galatasaray too are former UEFA Cup winners, defeating Arsenal on penalties in 2000, with supporters dreaming of replicating that achievement in Bilbao come May. So far, Okan Buruk's team have certainly been fun, with their three league phase fixtures witnessing a total of 15 goals, by far the most of any side. They swatted aside PAOK 3-1 in İstanbul, before throwing away a two goal lead in Rīga, held to a very undwehelming 2-2 draw by minnows RFS. Then, 15 days ago, the Yellow-Reds edged out Elfsburg in a seven-goal thriller, with Mauro Icardi, Barış Alper Yılmaz and Yunus Akgün all scoring during a frenetic 4-3 victory. Domestically, as Galatasaray seek a third successive Süper Lig title, they're top, five points clear of José Mourinho's Fenerbahçe, crucially having won September's Intercontinental Derby. So now, having not lost since August's Champions League play-offs against Young Boys, can the Turkish champions claim a notable scalp at the Ali Sami Yen?
Galatasaray vs Tottenham Hotspur Head-to-Head Record
These two clubs have never previously met.
Galatasaray Team News
There are plenty of familiar faces in this Galatasaray squad, including Davinson Sánchez, who will face his former club, as well as other ex-Premier League players Lucas Torreira, Hakim Ziyech and Michy Batshuayi. First-choice left-back Ismail Jakobs is injured, so Barış Alper Yılmaz will deputise. Captain Fernando Muslera, who's been with the club since 2011, missed the first three league phase fixtures suspended, having been sent off in the Champions League play-offs, but will return in goal at Günay Güvenç's expense.
Galatasaray predicted lineup vs Tottenham Hotspur: (4-4-2): Muslera; Ayhan, Sánchez, Bardakcı, Alper Yılmaz; Torreira, Sara, Akgün, Mertens; Icardi, Osimhen.
Galatasaray Player to Watch vs Tottenham Hotspur
This team boast so much attacking flair, including but not limited to Dries Mertens, Mauro Icardi and Michy Batshuayi, who's now represented all three İstanbul giants, only the 11th player, and first non-Turk, to do so. However, we have to highlight Victor Osimhen, who's somehow ended up on loan at Gala, following a falling out with Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis. The Nigerian scored his fourth goal for Galatasaray against Beşiktaş last time out, now seeking to add to his tally.
Tottenham Hotspur Team News
Ange Postecoglou has rotated his team throughout the Europa League to date, so it'll be interesting to see if he continues to do so as the difficulty level is ramped up. Micky van de Ven, Djed Spence and Wilson Odobert are all injured, while Son Heung-min was hooked after only 56 minutes on Sunday, continuing to rebuild his fitness, mean he may not be risked. Archie Gray, Ben Davies and Lucas Bergvall have started all three European fixtures so far, while James Maddison is likely to return, having lost his place to Dejan Kuluševski in the Premier League.
Tottenham Hotspur predicted lineup vs Galatasaray: (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Gray, Drăgușin, Romero, Davies; Bissouma, Bergvall, Maddison, Johnson, Werner; Richarlison.
Tottenham Hotspur Player to Watch vs Galatasaray
Richarlison's first, and so far only, goal of the season came against AZ Alkmaar two weeks ago, so can the Brazilian add to this, likely to start this one, potentially as the centre-forward?
Galatasaray vs Tottenham Hotspur Prediction
Given how both sides play, goals are as good as guaranteed in İstanbul, and we're forecasting that the home crowd will have a victory to celebrate, with Postecoglou potentially paying the price for over-rotation, which he may feel is a necessity due to the hectic schedule: Galatasaray 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur.
Galatasaray vs Tottenham Hotspur FAQs - Europa League
How to watch Galatasaray vs Tottenham Hotspur Europa League game on TV channel?
Galatasaray vs Tottenham Hotspur Europa League game will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: TNT Sports 1
- USA: Paramount+, fuboTV & TUDN
- Canada: DAZN Canada
How to watch Galatasaray vs Tottenham Hotspur Europa League game on live streaming?
Galatasaray vs Tottenham Hotspur Europa League game will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: Discovery+
- USA: Paramount+, fuboTV, TUDN.com & ViX
- Canada: DAZN Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Galatasaray vs Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League?
Galatasaray vs Tottenham Hotspur takes place on Thursday 7 November 2024, with kick off at 17:45 (GMT), 12:45 (EDT) & 9:45 (PST).