Is the comeback still possible for Galatasaray?

Galatasaray experienced a European Cup evening to forget last week and now has only a small chance of advancing to the next round of the Europa League. “Cimbom” lost the away game at AZ Alkmaar with 1:4 and is therefore facing a mammoth task in the second leg. Meanwhile, the odds for the Galatasaray vs. Alkmaar tip on the Turkish record champions are 1.65.

The Lions picked up an important league win ahead of this game, thereby maintaining their lead over Fenerbahce Istanbul. The three points against Caykur Rizespor were of immense importance for Gala. The upcoming league game is the explosive intercontinental derby between the two arch-rivals.

It is difficult to gauge how “Cimbom” will perform on the international stage in the run-up to this match, because Galatasaray is currently struggling with personnel issues in the squad. Therefore, no major changes compared to the last starting lineup are to be expected. The Lions will therefore have a very short period of regeneration time before the showdown against the “cheese heads”.

Galatasaray – Statistics & current form

Victor Osimhen gave the Turkish record champions an important win at Caykur Rizespor last time out in the Süper Lig. The loanee from Napoli not only scored the opening goal for “Cimbom”, but also secured the win with the 2-1 in the final phase.

Betting on Victor Osimhen as a goalscorer is not out of the question against AZ Alkmaar either. The Nigerian missed the first leg through suspension. In the second leg, the Lions’ star player will be in the starting lineup.

However, a betting tip on the Turkish record champions will be associated with a lot of risk. In the last five European Cup games, Gala remained winless and only managed a meager record of 0-3-2. In these five encounters, the Lions’ box was rung a total of twelve times. At least one goal against is therefore likely again against AZ.

Is Gala improving against weak record against clubs from the Eredivisie?

In 11 matches against Dutch clubs, “Cimbom” has only won twice. With a record of 2-1-8, Galatasaray is hardly spreading optimism in the run-up to the upcoming encounter. It is quite possible that the statistics will deteriorate again. With regard to the upcoming intercontinental derby against Fenerbahce, it remains to be seen what attitude “Cimbom” will take to the second leg on the international stage.

The chances of progressing are vanishingly small. Even a single goal against ensures that Galatasaray must score at least four goals to even force extra time against AZ. In the current season, “Cimbom” has only scored four goals on the international stage on one occasion. That match was against Elfsborg – but they also scored three times in the Lions’ goal.

Okan Buruk has at least four players out of action through injury for this game. There are likely to be some changes to the side that faced AZ last weekend, although Osimhen, Sanchez and Torreira will be available again after being suspended.

Galatasaray predicted line-up:

Alkmaar – statistics & current form

AZ Alkmaar have already set the course for advancing to the next round with last week’s victory. The Cheeseheads scored a total of four goals against Galatasaray in the first leg of the Europa League intermediate round, taking advantage of their opponent being a man down. In the second leg, Maarten Martens’ team will now be guests in Istanbul and are not even under pressure to win.

If you consider how strong the cheeseheads were in the first leg, another victory against Galatasaray cannot be ruled out. Thursday’s opponent from Istanbul will have to take a few risks to achieve a comeback in the second leg. If AZ takes advantage of the freedom that this will give them, another offensive spectacle from the Dutch team cannot be ruled out.

In their last five competitive games, Maarten Martens’ team have scored a total of 14 goals. So on average, almost three goals per game. Bettors who want to bet on another goal-filled match from AZ this time around get the best betting options at Winamax.

AZ with a strong record against Turkish clubs

The Cheeseheads have never lost a competitive game against a Turkish club. In nine matches against Süper Lig clubs, AZ Alkmaar have a record of 5-4-0. Maarten Martens & Co. have played three of those nine games this season. AZ picked up a victory against Fenerbahce in the Europa League group stage. They also picked up a point after drawing with Galatasaray.

With last week’s win, AZ improved their record against Turkish clubs this season to 2-1-0. It is therefore not out of the question to place a bet on the visitors in the upcoming match between Galatasaray and Alkmaar.

Maarten Martens is not facing any major personnel issues in this game either. Only four players will miss the match in Istanbul due to injury. AZ currently has no other absentees.

Provisional line-up for Alkmaar:

Galatasaray – Alkmaar direct comparison / H2H record

This will be the third time the two clubs have met this season. The first leg in the Europa League group stage ended in a draw between Galatasaray and AZ. Last week, Alkmaar beat the Turkish record champions 4-1 in the first leg of the intermediate round and thus lead the direct comparison with a record of 1-1-0.

Galatasaray – Alkmaar Tip

Galatasaray is back to the wall after the clear defeat in the first leg and has little chance of advancing in the Europa League. In the Europa League, only one team has made a comeback after trailing by three goals in the first leg in the last 57 attempts.

In addition, Galatasaray has a city derby against Fenerbahce in the Süper Lig 2024/25 championship race that will be crucial for their season. In view of this, it remains to be seen with which attitude the Lions will approach the European Cup game against AZ. However, rotation can be ruled out.

Our Galatasaray vs Alkmaar betting tip is for odds of 2.05 on Over 3.5 goals in the game. We are betting on five out of ten possible units for our prediction. Betway offers some of the best odds for our betting tip.