Galatasaray have a huge win under their belts already but will need to maintain their three-goal advantage at Juventus to secure their spot in the Champions League round of 16 draw
Juventus face a monumental task in their quest for Champions League redemption as they host Galatasaray in Turin on Wednesday evening. After suffering a heavy 5-2 defeat in Istanbul last week, the Italian giants are on the brink of elimination, with Galatasaray now overwhelming favourites to progress to the last 16.
Juventus supporters were briefly given hope when Teun Koopmeiners struck twice to overturn Galatasaray’s early lead, but what followed was one of the club’s darkest nights in European competition. Overwhelmed in a lopsided second half, Juve saw substitute Juan Cabal dismissed after a disastrous cameo, while Napoli loanee Noa Lang netted twice to put the tie firmly in Galatasaray’s hands.
Conceding five or more goals in a UEFA match is a rare occurrence for Juventus—this was only the second time in their history, the last being a 7-0 loss to Wiener Sport-Club back in the 1958-59 European Cup. To overturn such a deficit, Juventus would need to produce a historic comeback: of the 49 teams to lose the first leg of a Champions League tie by at least three goals, only four have managed to advance.
A club with two European crowns to their name, Juventus now find themselves in crisis. After losing another Derby d’Italia to Inter Milan and then collapsing against Como, their long unbeaten home run in Serie A came to an end with a meek 2-0 defeat to fellow top-four contenders last Saturday. Their current tally of 46 points is their lowest at this stage since 2011, leaving them four points adrift of the Champions League places and making Sunday’s clash with fourth-placed Roma crucial for both sides.
Before that, Luciano Spalletti’s men must try to restore some pride by defeating Galatasaray for the first time in 22 years. The Turkish side have lost just once in seven meetings with Juventus, and last week’s emphatic win matched their biggest-ever margin of victory in the Champions League. That result, coming in their 200th European Cup appearance, has put Galatasaray on course for their first knockout stage success since 2014.
Galatasaray, who could soon face Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur in the next round, have progressed from all 11 previous UEFA ties in which they won the first leg by three or more goals. Okan Buruk’s men are also chasing a fourth consecutive Super Lig title, but their focus slipped last weekend when they suffered a shock 2-0 defeat to Konyaspor, a team who had gone 12 league matches without a win.
Despite boasting a potent attack featuring Victor Osimhen, Mauro Icardi, and others, that loss exposed a vulnerability that Juventus may hope to exploit. Historically, Galatasaray have struggled on their Champions League travels, losing 71% of their away games and winning just once in their last 13 outings—a statistic that offers Juventus the faintest glimmer of hope ahead of Wednesday’s showdown.
Juventus vs Galatasaray Team News
After being forced off with a thigh injury during last week’s defeat—and subsequently missing the loss to Como—Juventus defensive stalwart Bremer could make his return on Wednesday. Pierre Kalulu is also available again after serving a controversial Serie A suspension. However, Luciano Spalletti will be without three full-backs: Emil Holm is sidelined with injury, while both Juan Cabal and Andrea Cambiaso are suspended.
Up front, first-choice striker Jonathan David missed the trip to Turkey and was limited to a brief substitute appearance last weekend, so it remains uncertain whether he will start alongside Turkish international Kenan Yildiz. Juventus are still without long-term absentees Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik, who remain unavailable.
For Galatasaray, former Inter forward Mauro Icardi started in Konya but is expected to make way for ex-Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, who is just two goals shy of equaling the club’s single-season Champions League scoring record. In midfield, Mario Lemina returns from suspension and could partner Gabriel Sara. Last week, Sara became only the second Galatasaray player to both score and assist in a Champions League knockout match—the first since Wesley Sneijder achieved the feat against Real Madrid in 2013. Sara also created seven chances in the first leg.
Juventus vs Galatasaray Prediction
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