Galatasaray – Juventus: Is Juve walking into an Istanbul inferno? 
First leg of the Champions League playoff this Tuesday in Turkey. Galatasaray host Juventus, hungry to prove they belong at the next level. The Istanbul side haven’t been this deep in Europe for 12 years. Juventus arrive desperate to stop a terrible knockout run.
Galatasaray: momentum returned, confidence up 
Istanbul handled the group stage well, highlighted by a headline win over Liverpool. They lost 2-0 to Manchester City on the final day but still did enough to reach the playoffs.
Their European run was patchy — four games without a win late on — but form has swung back. Four straight wins across all competitions and 15 goals scored. Proper purple patch.
Mauro Icardi has been sharp, netting five in that stretch, including a league hat-trick. In the Super Lig they sit top, three points clear.
At home the numbers are solid. Only one defeat in their last eleven European matches on home turf. Galatasaray have scored in 17 of their last 18 continental games at this ground.
Juventus: can they finally end the knockout curse? 
Juve finished the group stage with a 0-0 draw in Monaco. On 13 points they ended the group in 13th place, ahead of Galatasaray.
The Turin club have reached the knockout rounds in ten of the last twelve seasons. Sounds solid. Only problem: five straight exits in direct knockout ties since 2019. That’s a serious stain.
Since Luciano Spalletti arrived in November they’ve gone five games unbeaten and kept three clean sheets in a row. There’s calm at the back again, but away days still give them trouble.
In the group stage Juve took just five points on the road. Recent trips in Serie A to Cagliari, Bergamo and Milan ended in defeat.
The aim here is simple: get a result to take back to Turin.
This will be the seventh meeting between the clubs. The last Istanbul clash was a 1-0 win for the hosts in December 2013. Worth noting: the Old Lady has won only one of the last six meetings.
Likely line-ups
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
Match Prediction Galatasaray vs Juventus
Galatasaray or draw
Galatasaray are tough at home and their attack is clicking. Juventus are shaky away and have a poor knockout record; they’ll need to be clinical.
Given the context, the Turks look capable of avoiding defeat in this first leg.
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