Galatasaray vs Spurs | Form guide ahead of Turkey trip
Thu 07 November 2024, 11:00|
Tottenham Hotspur
Galatasary come into this week's fixture unbeaten in both the Turkish Super Lig and UEFA Europa League so far this season.
Okan Buruk's side have dropped just two points across their opening 10 league games, three points ahead of second-placed Samunspor with a game in hand and having already scored 29 goals.
In the Europa League, Cimbom currently sit fifth in the table with seven points from their first three fixtures following wins against PAOK and Elfsborg, as well as a draw with RFS.
The last five...
3 October, 2023 - UEFA Europa League - RFS 2-2 Galatasaray (Mertens & Akgun)
6 October, 2024 - Super Lig - Galatasaray 1-0 Alanyaspor (Akgun)
19 October, 2024 - Super Lig - Antalyaspor 0-3 Galatasaray (Icardi (2) & Osimhen)
23 October, 2024 - UEFA Europa League - Galatasaray 4-3 IF Elfsborg (Icardi, OG, Yilmaz & Akgun)
28 October, 2024 - Super Lig - Galatasaray 2-1 Beşiktaş (Sanchez & Osimhen)
Despite impressive form in the Super Lig and Europe, Galatasaray's season actually started with a hammering 5-0 defeat to Beşiktaş in the Turkish Super Cup final, a game in which they were reduced to 10 men late on.
Mauro Icardi and Michy Batshuayi were on target in a 2-1 win over Hatayspor in their opening Super Lig fixture six days later, before winning by the same scoreline during their trip to Konyaspor thanks to goals from Kerem Aktürkoğlu and Bariş Alper Yilmaz.
However, the Sari-Kirmizililar, who had qualified for the Champions League qualifiers, were knocked out in the play-off round of Europe's elite club football competition, losing both legs in an 4-2 aggregate defeat to Swiss side Young Boys, resulting in their participation in the Europa League.
Buruk's side ended August by returning to winning ways though as they enjoyed a dominant 5-1 win at Adana Demirspor with Aktürkoğlu, Yilmaz, Dries Mertens and Abdülkerim Bardakci all on the scoresheet.
Another commanding win followed, this time dominating Rizespor 5-0 at Rams Park, before an important 3-1 victory in the Kitalararasi Derbi against rivals Fenerbahce thanks to goals from Lucas Torreira, Martens and Gabriel Sara. That made it six league wins on the bounce to give them their best start to a season since 2009/10.
A 3-1 win over PAOK in the Europa League followed before two dramatic draws where they squandered leads, firstly, a 3-3 Super Lig draw with Kasimpasa where they were 3-0 up before a 2-2 draw with Latvian side RFS in the Europa League where they had led 2-0.
However, since then, they've won four games on the bounce, keeping back-to-back clean sheets against Alanyaspor and Antalyaspor, before edging a seven-goal thriller at Rams Park against Elfsborg in the Europa League.
Last time out, they edged rivals Besiktas 2-1 in the Super Lig with our former defender Davinson Sanchez opening the scoring 13 minutes in before Victor Osimhen bagged his fourth goal in five league games to double the advantage. Their city rivals later grabbing a consolation.
Buruk's side coming into this week's fixture off the back of a bye at the weekend.
European history...
Founded in 1905, Galatasaray are a familiar name in European football, only missing out on at least the play-off rounds for any European competitions twice since 1962 - although both of those seasons have come in the last decade (2016/17 and 2022/23).
In their European journey last year began in the Champions League, but didn't progress past the group stages finishing third in Group A, which saw them demoted to the Europa League and into the round of 32 in the Europa League. That is where their European adventure ended though as they squandered a 3-2 first leg lead to Sparta Prague being knocked out 6-4 on aggregate.
In 2021-22, they topped their group in the Europa League group stages and made it to the round of 16 where, despite a respectable 0-0 draw in the first leg with Barcelona at the Nou Camp, Barca ran out 2-1 winners to progress in the second leg at Rams Park.
The club made the Champions League quarter-finals in 2012/13, finishing as runners up to Manchester United in the group stage, eliminating Schalke 4-3 on aggregate before a 5-3 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid, despite winning the second leg on home turf.
Their most notable European achievement is undoubtedly winning the 1999/2000 UEFA Cup final, beating Bologna, Borussia Dortmund, Mallorca and Leeds United to set up a tie with Arsenal in the final. A tense game at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen ended 0-0, with the Turkish side running out 3-1 winners on penalties.
That was followed by a further triumph in the 2000 UEFA Super Cup final, beating Real Madrid 2-1 in golden goal extra time in Monaco, with Mario Jardel's brace enough to take home the trophy.
