Fresh off the back of a shock defeat against Hatayspor, Galatasaray play host to Alanyaspor at Rams Park in round 14 of the Turkish Super Lig on Saturday.
The visiting side, who have lost each of their last four league outings, will head into the weekend looking to stop the rot and pull clear of the bottom three.
Match preview
© Reuters
Galatasaray were condemned to successive defeats for the first time since March 2022 as they fell to a shock 2-1 loss at the hands of Hatayspor in their last outing before the international break.
In an end-to-end affair at the Mersin Stadium, Rigoberto Rivas and Wilfried Zaha scored for either side to end the first half level but Didier Lamkel Ze struck 10 minutes after the interval to hand the hosts all three points.
This followed a 2-1 loss against German champions Bayern Munich in the Champions League on November 18, a result which left them third with four points in Group A and dealt a fresh blow to their dreams of reaching the knockout stages.
Prior to their loss against Hatayspor, Okan Buruk's men were on a blistering run of 10 straight league wins and were unbeaten in their last 16, claiming 15 wins and one draw since April's 3-1 loss against rivals Besiktas.
The Aslanlar have now picked up 12 wins, one draw and lost one of their 12 Super Lig matches so far to collect 31 points and sit second in the table, only below first-placed Fenerbahce on goal difference.
With a pivotal Champions League clash against Manchester United on the horizon, Galatasaray will now look to pick up a morale-boosting victory this weekend and extend their 100% Super Lig home record, having won each of their five games at Rams Park this season.
© Reuters
Alanyaspor, on the other hand, were left empty handed once again as they fell to a 3-0 hammering against Gaziantep at the Bahcesehir Okullari Arena just before the international break.
Despite seeing less than 30% of the ball possession, Alexandru Maxim and Denis Dragus both found the target in first-half stoppage time to put the visitors in a commanding lead before Brayan Riascos put the icing on the cake with a 95th-minute strike.
Fatih Tekke's men have now suffered four league defeats on the trot, conceding seven goals and scoring just once since beating Fatih Karagumruk 2-1 at home on October 6 to claim just their second win of the season.
However, Alanyaspor did book their spot in the fourth round of the Turkish Cup on October 31 when they edged out third-tier Belediye Kutahyaspor courtesy of goals from Pione Sisto, Nicolas Janvier and a brace from Anderson Silva.
With 10 points from 12 matches, Alanyaspor are currently 17th in the Turkish Super Lig standings, level on points with 16th-placed Konyaspor just outside the relegation zone, but could move into 14th place with all three points this weekend.
However, the Antalya outfit go up against an opposing side who are currently on a run of three consecutive victories between the teams and are unbeaten in their last five encounters since a 1-0 defeat in September 2021.
Team News
© Reuters
Zaha took his goal tally to four with his strike against Hatayspor last time out and the former Crystal Palace man should retain his role in the Galatasaray front three.
He should be joined in attack by Hakim Ziyech and former Paris Saint-Germain striker Mauro Icardi, who is currently tied on 10 goals with Edin Dzeko and Mame Thiam at the top of the Super Lig scoring charts.
Lucas Torreira and Sergio Oliveira should form the midfield pivot once again, while full-back Kazimcan Karatas is a doubt after coming off injured midway through the second half against Hatayspor.
Meanwhile, Alanyaspor head into the weekend with a clean bill of health and no suspension concerns, giving Tekke the luxury of a full-strength squad to select from.
Jure Balkovec turned in an eye-catching cameo against Gaziantep last time out and the 29-year-old could be rewarded with a place in the XI, teaming up with Loide Augusto, Fatih Aksoy and Furkan Bayir in the back four.
Galatasaray possible starting lineup:
Muslera; Boey, Sanchez, Bardakci, Karatas; Oliveira, Torreira; Ziyech, Akturkoglu, Zaha; Icardi
Alanyaspor possible starting lineup:
Taskiran; Augusto, Aksoy, Bayir, Balkovec; Novais, Coelho; Karaca, Janvier, Eduardo; Cordova
We say: Galatasaray 3-0 Alanyaspor
Galatasaray have suffered a slight drop-off in form of late but boast the firepower needed to get the result this weekend. Given the gulf in class and quality between the two sides, we are backing Buruk's men to come away with a comfortable victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
