Revenge will be on the agenda for Galatasaray on Wednesday night as the Turkish giants renew hostilities with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in Champions League Group F.
Thomas Tuchel and his charges have not exactly impressed in the UEFA Champions League group stages thus far, especially defensively. But Bayern Munich can punch their ticket to the knockout rounds of the Champions League with a Group A victory over Galatasaray at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night after they won their opening three encounters.
Thomas Tuchel’s side have been forced to slog out wins at Copenhagen and Galatasaray to stretch their unbeaten run. The Turkish heavyweights gave them something to ponder about in the reverse fixture two weeks ago, but Bayern recovered late to win 3-1.
They now welcome Galatasaray to the Allianz Arena off the back of their most convincing performance of the Tuchel era on Saturday, as they thumped Borussia Dortmund away from home just days after their DFB-Pokal humiliation against third-tier Saarbucken.
A terrific treble from England captain Harry Kane after Dayot Upamecano’s early header condemned Dortmund to a harrowing 4-0 loss to the champions at Signal Iduna Park. As for the visitors, since that home defeat in the reverse fixture, Galatasaray have won both of their domestic fixtures to maintain their unbeaten record in the Super Lig.
But they will head into this one knowing the difficulty of the task that lies ahead. Gala are set to compete with Manchester United for the second spot. Points on Wednesday would be a bonus, but it’s their home encounter with Manchester United on Matchday 5, that will most likely determine who advances alongside Bayern from Group A.
Team News and Tactics
Bayern Munich
The hard work never stops 🦾#MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/pfDOyCK77v
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) November 6, 2023
Injuries have been a persistent, ongoing issue for Bayern this season, with Matthijs de Ligt the latest to get trapped in the treatment room this season. The former Juventus defender now looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines with an MCL injury, while Tarek Buchmann and Tom Hulsmann remain sidelined as they continue their recoveries from respective hamstring problems.
There has, however, been excellent news on the injury front, with Leon Goretzka fit again after a period on the sidelines. The Bayern boss will welcome Joshua Kimmich back to the fold on Wednesday after he missed Der Klassiker through suspension and could start in midfield to partner either Goretzka or Konrad Laimer.
Manuel Neuer’s return to the first team is another huge boost for the hosts. A clean sheet in the 8-0 thumping victory over Darmstadt — his first outing after missing 10 months with a broken leg — was the perfect welcome back. A second shutout against BVB further built on his encouraging performances back between the sticks.
Dayot Upamecano could return at centre-back at the expense of injured de Ligt, with Kim Min-jae lining up as the other central defender, as usual, while Noussair Mazraoui and Alphonso Davies will provide the width on the flanks.
Harry Kane’s form should scare the visitors, while Jamal Musiala comes into the game, having scored in his last two European games. Leroy Sane has scored eight times himself and provided four assists in the league, to go with his goal and assist in the Champions League. Super-sub Mathys Tel is another option to make a positive impact off the bench.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Mazraoui, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Laimer, Kimmich; Sane, Musiala, Coman; Kane
Galatasaray
Galatasaray’s terrific start to the domestic season continued at the weekend as a Wilfried Zaha brace propelled them to a 2-1 win over Kasimpasa last time out. They should come into Wednesday’s meeting with a clean bill of health, aside from the continued absence of Tanguy Ndombele.
In their 4-2-3-1 formation, competition is still fierce in midfield even without the Frenchman, with Sergio Oliveira pushing to come in from the get-go after netting their winning goal off the bench on October 28. But expect a Lucas Torreira and Kerem Demirbay double-pivot to be preferred for this contest.
All we do is win. 🫡#GSvKAS pic.twitter.com/bxEkExfb6U
— Galatasaray EN (@Galatasaray) November 3, 2023
Indeed, Gala boss Okan Buruk has decisions to make all over the pitch, with Wilfried Zaha, Dries Mertens, and Kerem Akturkoglu all hoping to keep their places behind lone striker Mauro Icardi amid competition from Tete, Hakim Ziyech, and Halil Dervisoglu.
At the back, Davinson Sanchez and Victor Nelsson should again get the nod in the middle of the defence in front of veteran goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, flanked by the attack-minded full-back pairing of Sacha Boey and Angelino.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Muslera; Boey, Sanchez, Nelsson, Angelino; Torreira, Demirbay; Tete, Akturkoglu, Zaha; Icardi
Key Stats
- Bayern Munich have won 21-2 across their last six meetings with Turkish sides in all competitions.
- The hosts have the joint-best attacking record in the Champions League this season, scoring nine goals in three games.
- Bayern Munich have a 100% record against Turkish outfits at Allianz Arena. They have scored 22 goals while conceding just three in seven meetings against Turkish teams thus far.
- Galatasaray have suffered just one defeat across all competitions this season, with that defeat coming at home against Munich last month.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
Bayern Munich fans had huge expectations when their club forked out a club-record fee to sign Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur over the summer. And so far, he has lived up to the hype splendidly and is proving just why he is regarded as one of the best strikers on the planet.
He has already scored 15 goals for Bayern in just ten Bundesliga games. Nobody in Bundesliga history had ever netted 15 times in so few games. That is before you add in his amazing vision, playmaking abilities, and deadly chemistry with Leroy Sane, which have drastically improved the latter’s output in front of goal. With two goals and two assists to his name in three European outings, he will be eager to add to his tally here.
Prediction
Bayern Munich 4-1 Galatasaray
For punters logging on to soccer betting sites, and even for general fans, it is tough to imagine anything other than a straightforward home victory here. Galatasaray caused Bayern Munich lots of issues in the reverse fixture and forced them to backpedal in the first half. Die Roten, though, sought to contain the Turkish giants and hit them on the counter in the second half, resulting in an unconvincing 3-1 victory.
The vibe, however, should be different at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night. While Galatasaray have a few big stars and has done well at home, they are not a team capable of travelling to Munich and walking away with three points. The Bavarians ran out 3-1 winners when the two sides met last month, and Bayern can produce an even bigger rout in the rematch. The Hard Tackle predicts a 4-1 victory for Thomas Tuchel and his charges.
