Fresh off a morale-boosting 1-0 win over English champions Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League during the week, Galatasaray will host Besiktas in the Turkish Super Lig at Rams Park this weekend.

The hosts are at the top of the standings with maximum points from seven league fixtures, while the away side are fifth in the table, after six league fixtures this term.

Match preview

Galatasaray started their Champions League campaign in less than impressive fashion, with a 5-1 defeat to German side Eintracht Frankfurt on matchday one.

However, that dismal result on the continent did not affect their performance in the domestic competition, having won two more league fixtures against Konyaspor (3-1) and most recently Alanyaspor (1-0) in their last outing in the Turkish top flight.

Back in European engagement on Wednesday, the Conqueror of Europe made a bold statement with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Liverpool, courtesy of Victor Osimhen’s 16th-minute strike from 12 yards.

With their eighth league fixture coming up against a familiar foe, Okan Buruk’s men will be buzzing going into Saturday’s encounter.

Another reason the Lions will be confident ahead of this contest is that they are firing on all cylinders in the attacking end of the pitch, with 17 goals plundered, while only two have been conceded since the start of the season.

Besiktas, on the other hand, have recorded four victories and two losses in six league matches this term.

Those outcomes leave them fifth in the table with 12 points, four places adrift of the home side, as they head into this weekend’s fixture.

Last time out, the Black Eagles ran out 3-1 winners against Kocaelispor, to claim back-to-back victories for the first time in the league this term.

Going up against the leaders is a daunting task, but they will be buoyed by their triumph over the current champions, having claimed a 2-1 win in their last meeting in March 2025.

Having said that, Sergen Yalcin’s team have suffered three losses and two victories in their last five meetings.

Galatasaray Turkish Super Lig form:

Galatasaray form (all competitions):

Besiktas Turkish Super Lig form:

Besiktas form (all competitions):

Team News

Galatasaray have no injury worries ahead of this encounter, aside from the duo of Gokdeniz Gurpuz and Kazimcan Karatas, both of whom are ineligible for Saturday’s fixture.

Aside from the two mentioned earlier, Buruk has a full complement of players at his disposal to name a strong side for this match.

Nigerian striker Osimhen scored the winner against Liverpool in their Champions League match, and he is expected to lead the line on Saturday.

The same cannot be said of the visitors, with scores of their players battling various injuries, with the likes of Jonas Svensson (unspecified), Wilfred Ndidi (calf) and Demir Ege Tiknaz (bone issues) all out of this fixture.

Salih Ucan is currently recuperating from a hamstring injury, and as such, he will only be able to watch proceedings from the sidelines this weekend.

Rafa Silva has found the back of the net five times in six matches for the visitors, meaning he will be one of the first names on the team sheet for the Black and Whites.

Galatasaray possible starting lineup:

Cakir; Kakobs, Badakci, Sanchez, Singo; Gundogan, Torreira, Lemina; Akgun, Osimhen, Yilmaz

Besiktas possible starting lineup:

Gunok; Jurasek, Sazdagi, Topcu, Djalo; Kokcu, Uysal; Toure, R. Silva, Cerny; J. Silva

We say: Galatasaray 2-1 Besiktas

Traditionally, goals have been a mainstay in this fixture, with only one of the last 10 encounters failing to return a minimum of three total strikes.

With that established, the hosts are much better than the visiting team, and we reckon they will claim a 2-1 win on Saturday.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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