Galatasaray vs Alanyaspor – News and Probable Lineups

Following a setback in their title pursuit, Galatasaray will seek an immediate rebound in the Turkish Super Lig as they host Alanyaspor at Rams Park on Saturday.

Cimbom currently sits atop the standings, but a surprising 2-0 loss at Konyaspor last weekend has allowed rivals Fenerbahce to narrow the gap to just two points, intensifying what is shaping up to be an exciting title battle.

Match overview

For Galatasaray, this week has brought a mix of highs and lows – although they ultimately progressed in European competition, consecutive defeats in both the Super Lig and the Champions League have highlighted some weaknesses that will worry Okan Buruk.

The defeat to Konyaspor marked their first league loss since November and came without Victor Osimhen, who is dealing with a knee issue, while Mauro Icardi had to leave the match at halftime due to pain.

The display lacked their usual sharpness in attack and solidity in defense, serving as a stark reminder of the slim margin for error at the top.

Nonetheless, they can take comfort from a thrilling European night – despite succumbing to a 3-2 defeat after extra time against 10-man Juventus, Galatasaray advanced 7-5 on aggregate to reach the Champions League round of 16 for the first time in 12 years, where they will take on either Tottenham Hotspur or Liverpool.

After relinquishing a three-goal advantage and seeing the tie equalized at 5-5, the Lions regained their composure in extra time, with Osimhen and Baris Yilmaz delivering crucial goals to silence the Allianz Stadium.

Focus now shifts back to domestic affairs, where Galatasaray must prove they can handle the pressure from Fenerbahce; however, encouragingly, they come into this match riding a six-match winning streak against Alanyaspor and maintain an unbeaten home league record this season, winning nine and drawing three of their 12 encounters at Rams Park.

Although Alanyaspor often finds themselves on the losing end in this fixture, they have made it tough for the league leaders in recent encounters, with their last three losses to Galatasaray coming by just a single goal, including a narrow 1-0 defeat earlier this season.

The visitors head into this match following a 2-1 loss on home soil to Istanbul Basaksehir, a match that snapped a three-game unbeaten run across all competitions (2W, 1D).

Nevertheless, Joao Pereira’s side occupies 10th place in the table with 26 points from 23 matches and has developed a reputation for resilience, even against the toughest teams.

In fact, Alanyaspor has drawn 11 league matches this season, more than any other team in the division, and would welcome another stalemate here; notably, eight of those draws have come away from home, including five consecutive matches, four of which were score draws.

Team News

Galatasaray will miss Metahan Baltaci due to a suspension resulting from involvement in a betting scandal, while young defender Arda Unyay will also be unavailable due to injury.

Aside from these absences, Buruk has nearly a full-strength squad to select from, and the expected return of Osimhen to the starting XI is a considerable boost.

No player in the league has a higher average of shots per game than the Nigerian’s 3.8, highlighting his attacking significance, while Icardi remains the club’s leading goal scorer with 13 goals. It will be intriguing to see if Buruk continues with the two-striker system employed at times during the week.

Alanyaspor’s injury issues are minimal, with Bulut Buluthan out due to a knee injury and Yusuf Ozdemir serving a suspension for a betting violation.

Florent Hadergjonaj, who has found the net in both of his last two matches and created six big chances this season – the highest for any Alanyaspor player – is likely to play a prominent role again from wing-back as the visitors aim to frustrate the league leaders and cause an upset.

Galatasaray probable starting XI:

Chakir; Sallai, Bardakci, Sanchez, Jacobs; Yilmaz, Torreira, Sarah, Lang; Osimhen, Icardi

Alanyaspor probable starting XI:

P. Victor; Akdag, Aliti, Aksoy; Hardegjonaj, January, Makouta, Rouen; Hwang, Yalcin, Hagi

Expect a strong response from Galatasaray in this encounter. Despite recent setbacks, their impressive home record at RAMS Park, coupled with Osimhen’s return and their dominant history against Alanyaspor, suggests a return to winning form.