Will Galatasaray pull off the minor sensation against Barça?
In the round of 16 first leg of the Europa League, Galatasaray got a remarkable result at Camp Nou.The 0-0 draw at FC Barcelona gives the Turkish record champions, who went into this clash as clear underdogs, every chance of booking a surprising place in the quarterfinals.
Now the second leg in Istanbul is scheduled for Thursday at 18:45, in which Galatasaray will have legitimate hopes of sweeping the Catalans out of the competition with a win at Nef Stadium. But despite the goalless draw at Camp Nou, the division of roles is also clear in the second leg: in Galatasaray vs. Barcelona, the odds once again swing clearly in the direction of coach Xavi Hernandez’s side.
The best bettors do not really trust Galatasaray to win at home and thus advance, because betting on “CimBom” in the EL second leg Galatasaray vs. Barcelona brings betting odds of 9.00 in the peak.
Galatasaray – statistics & current form
Galatasaray is playing an extremely disappointing season this season, as 11th place in the Turkish Süper Lig makes clear. However, the last two results are really encouraging for the Lions. In two significant and big games, Galatasaray remained unbeaten in each – with the 0-0 first leg draw at FC Barcelona even equating to a small victory.
Despite the stress of traveling, Galatasaray then also picked up a win in the derby against Besiktas (2-1) in league play on Monday. So Galatasaray is prepared before the difficult home match against Barça!
Galatasaray boosts confidence for Barça clash with derby win
So the poor form curve this season is looking a little friendlier. But to advance, CimBom must of course win – that this may not be easy is clear. At home, Galatasaray has won only two of its last seven home games across the competition. Against Rizespor, the weakest away team in the league, three points were a must, but the home win in the derby against Besiktas on Monday evening came as something of a surprise. The Lions won the city derby 2:1 – so the dress rehearsal before the Europa League home game against FC Barcelona went very well.
CimBom was very self-confident, gilded the surprising 0-0 from the first leg at Camp Nou. And against the favored FC Barcelona, of course, hopes for a (surprising) quarter-final entry.
Predicted lineup of Galatasaray:
Peña – van Aanholt, Marcao, Nelsson, Boey – Kutlu, Antalyali – Aktürkoglu, Cicaldau, Feghouli – Mohamed
Last matches played by Galatasaray:
Süper Lig
03/14 2022 – Galatasaray 2 – 1 Beşiktaş
Europa League Final Stage
03/10 2022 – FC Barcelona 0 – 0 Galatasaray
Süper Lig
03/05 2022 – Konyaspor 2 – 0 Galatasaray
02/27 2022 – Galatasaray 4 – 2 Rizespor
02/21 2022 – Göztepe 2 – 3 Galatasaray
Barcelona – statistics & current form
Self-confidence, however, has also filled up FC Barcelona – and how. On Sunday evening, the Blaugrana swept the chanceless Osasuna in La Liga with 4-0 from the Camp Nou – and played the soccer that one had seen in recent weeks increasingly and also expected in the EL first leg against Galatasaray.
Joy of play, scoring danger and this time also goals – everything worked like clockwork for Barça this evening. That bodes ill for the Turkish record champions. The unchallenged home win is part of a series of clear victories. Xavi’s team also scored four goals against Atletico Madrid (4:2), Valencia (4:1), Athletic Bilbao (4:0) and in the Europa League against Napoli (4:2).
Certainly, this impressive series also has a significant impact on the offers of betting companies. Because before Galatasaray vs Barcelona, the odds on Barça’s away win are low – despite 0-0 in the first leg. The abolished away goals rule now ensures that both teams need a win to progress. So it could develop into an interesting exchange of blows.
Slips in the first leg – otherwise Barça are hugely hungry for goals
For us, it is therefore interesting to consider the betting options ‘Barcelona win and both score’ or ‘Barcelona win and Over 2.5 goals’ given Barça’s strength and hunger for goals – assuming, of course, that the Catalan favorite wins.
But this one is obvious given their strong form: Barcelona are unbeaten in ten games across competitions. Both defeats in the Supercopa and Copa came after extra time. If you look only at the regular season, Barça has gone a full 18 games without defeat after 90 minutes in all competitions.
In La Liga, it’s eleven games in a row without a defeat. So it’s no wonder that Barça are clear favorites in the second leg as well, despite a disappointing 0-0 draw in the first leg.
Predicted Barcelona lineup:
Ter Stegen – Dest, Araujo, Piqué, Alba – Busquets, De Jong, Pedri – Traoré, Aubameyang, Torres
Last matches played by Barcelona:
La Liga
03/13 2022 – FC Barcelona 4 – 0 Osasuna Pamplona
Europa League Final Stage
03/10 2022 – FC Barcelona 0 – 0 Galatasaray
La Liga
03/06 2022 – Elche 1 – 2 FC Barcelona
02/27 2022 – FC Barcelona 4 – 0 Athletic Bilbao
Europa League Final Stage
02/24 2022 – SSC Napoli 2 – 4 FC Barcelona
Galatasaray – Barcelona Tip
One wins, the other flies – that’s the starting position before the second leg in Istanbul between the two teams. The 0-0 draw at Camp Nou ensures that both teams have to win. So we should be in for an entertaining game on Thursday night.
Recent performances have shown extremely well that games involving Barça in particular are not only entertaining, but also high-scoring.
Barça thus travels with self-confidence, but Monday’s derby win against Besiktas also gives Galatasaray a mighty boost.
We therefore believe that this series will continue: In our opinion, the favorite Barcelona will prevail and it will rain some goals – on both sides. Also that Barça wins and Over 2.5 goals seems interesting, but the odds on Barcelona wins & both score we find even more exciting, which is why we give our prediction on Galatasaray vs. Barcelona.
