Will Barca lay the foundations for the quarter-finals at home?
UEFA can’t complain about the lack of big names in the Europa League this season. The most prestigious of the 15 remaining clubs is, of course, the great FC Barcelona, who have won the European Champion Clubs’ Cup and the Champions League five times alone.
On their way to the final, which will take place in Seville in mid-May, the Catalans have drawn a more than feasible draw in the round of 16 with the reigning Turkish runners-up. Looking ahead to the first leg between Barcelona and Galatasaray, the odds on the overall winner of the competition pit the hottest title contenders against the most glaring underdogs.
For Doménec Torrent, the Istanbul coach, the encounter is a very special one. A former assistant to Pep Guardiola, the Catalan-born coach worked for the Blaugrana for a total of five years. During that time, the 59-year-old, who has been trying his hand as head coach since 2018 and has now arrived in Europe after stints in New York and with Flamengo, won the Champions League twice and the Club World Cup twice. Ahead of Barcelona’s encounter against Galatasaray, however, the prognosis will only depend to a limited extent on his personnel. The difference in quality between the two teams is too great.
Barcelona – Statistics & current form
Are we currently seeing the start of a great era at FC Barcelona? Although it may still be a bit premature to go so far out on a limb, it is fair to say that the first important steps have been taken. In particular, the continuous integration of the club’s own young players has already led to the stars of tomorrow playing a leading role in Xavi’s system.
In terms of results, too, the continuing upswing, which of course benefited from the high-quality winter transfers, has made itself felt. Across all competitions, the Catalans have not lost a single match after 90 minutes in the 2022 calendar year. The only two defeats came in the Super Copa and the Copa del Rey, both after extra time. In La Liga, the Blue and Reds have picked up 16 of a possible 18 points from their last six matches and have already moved up to third place.
Barca are in stunning form
Barca’s best performance under the new coach, however, probably came in the Europa League second leg of the second leg a fortnight ago. The FCB won 4-2 at Italian title contenders Napoli to book their place in the last 16 after a 1-1 draw in the first leg. If Aubameyang and Co. can build on this performance, the upcoming home match against Gala could be a mere formality.
This is also supported by their impressive home record on the international stage. In fact, the Spaniards have only lost two of their 35 knockout matches in European competition at home. In addition, the attack is brimming with self-confidence at the moment. They have scored at least two goals in six of their last seven matches, which is why we believe that the betting on a home win between Barcelona and Galatasaray on Thursday evening will also work out. Strictly speaking, a home win with two or more goals difference is even likely.
This is not least due to Europa League expert Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has already scored 23 goals in 45 appearances in this competition. Only Radamel Falcao, Munas Dabbur and Aritz Aduriz have scored more often. Coach Xavi will have to do without his suspended youngster Gavi. Ansu Fati, Sergi Roberto, Samuel Umtiti and Alejandro Balde are out injured.
Predicted line-up of Barcelona:
Ter Stegen; Dest, Araujo, Pique, Alba; Pedri, Busquets, De Jong; Traore, Aubameyang, Torres
Last matches played by Barcelona:
LaLiga
03/06 2022 – Elche 1 – 2 Barcelona
02/27 2022 – Barcelona 4 – 0 Athletic Bilbao
Europa League Final Stage
02/24 2022 – SSC Napoli 2 – 4 Barcelona
LaLiga
02/20 2022 – Valencia 1 – 4 Barcelona
Europa League Final Stage
02/17 2022 – Barcelona 1 – 1 SSC Napoli
Galatasaray – Statistics & current form
For Galatasaray, the Europa League offers the last chance to bring a completely screwed-up season to a conciliatory conclusion. While the Istanbul team, currently in twelfth place in the league, is lagging far behind its own expectations and also failed to clear the opening hurdle in the national cup, the focus from now on is clearly on international business.
There, the reigning Turkish runners-up were quite convincing in the preliminary round. In a complicated group with Lokomotive Moscow, Olympique Marseille and Lazio Rome, Gala finished first and thus saved themselves two games in the intermediate rounds. The defence in particular made a lasting impression in the group phase, conceding only three goals in six games. They even kept a clean sheet four times. Against this background, we can well imagine that a maximum of four goals will be scored in the course of the match.
Gala without positive experience in Barcelona
Although the bottom line is that Galatasaray have not lost any of their last European Cup games (five wins, five draws), the individual quality and the current abandonment of course speaks clearly in favour of the Blaugrana. Coach Torrent’s side lost 2-0 to Konyaspor in the league at the weekend, leaving them with just two wins from their past nine Süperliga matches. It is not to be expected that they will be at their best at Camp Nou of all places.
Especially when you consider that the Lions have never been able to celebrate a victory in the Catalan football temple in their club history. In fact, in 16 international away games in Spain, they have only managed one success – in the UEFA Cup in Mallorca in 1999/2000. Turan, Feghouli and Arslan are out through injury.
Predicted line-up of Galatasaray:
Pena; Elabdellaoui, Marcao, Nelsson, Van Aanholt; Pulgar; Morutan, Kutlu, Cicaldau, Akturkoglu; Mohamed
Last matches played by Galatasaray:
Süper Lig
03/05 2022 – Konyaspor 2 – 0 Galatasaray
02/27 2022 – Galatasaray 4 – 2 Rizespor
02/21 2022 – Göztepe 2 – 3 Galatasaray
02/12 2022 – Galatasaray 1 – 1 Kayserispor
02/06 2022 – Alanyaspor 1 – 1 Galatasaray
Barcelona – Galatasaray Direct comparison / H2H record
Eight encounters have already taken place between the two clubs in the European Cup. With five wins, two draws and only one defeat, the FCB has the clear lead. The most recent three direct duels have also all gone to the Catalans. However, these figures should be treated with caution, as there has not been a meeting in almost 20 years. Of course, this does not change anything about Barcelona’s distinct role as favourites against Galatasaray, which can be seen in the odds.
Barcelona – Galatasaray Tip
No other Europa League match is as clear-cut as the first leg between Barcelona and Galatasaray. Betting odds of maximum 1.18 for a home win underline the role of favourites for the Spaniards, who are desperate to get ahead in their own stadium, where they have never lost to the reigning Turkish runners-up.
The form is absolutely impressive. After 90 minutes, the Xavi team has not lost a single match in the 2022 calendar year. The attack in particular has been running at full speed of late and the title aspirants also have a real Europa League expert on board in the shape of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
We believe, also considering the poor season Gala is playing at national level, that Barca will make short work of the game in front of their home crowd and secure a commanding victory. In order to do justice to all the above-mentioned aspects, we decide to bet on Barcelona against Galatasaray that the favourites will win by at least two goals, but also that a maximum of four goals will be scored in the course of the match. It is quite possible that the Turks will not score at all in view of the dominance of the host team.
