Following a five-goal spectacular in last week’s opening encounter, Turkish giants Galatasaray and Norwegian powerhouses Molde renew hostilities in the return leg of their Champions League qualifying playoff tie on Tuesday.
Okan Buruk’s men travelled home from Scandinavia with a 3-2 triumph in the bag and now welcome Molde to Istanbul intent on finishing what they started at Aker Stadion.
It was a mismatch on paper, but Molde’s run to the final hurdle of Champions League qualifying was no fluke, and Erling Moe’s men gave Galatasaray a harsh wake-up call just eight minutes into last week’s first leg thanks to a Martin Ellingsen header.
As expected, however, Galatasaray soon turned the tide in their favour through Sergio Oliveira and Mauro Icardi, but Kristoffer Haugen’s strike would ostensibly force a share of the spoils in Norway, only for Icardi to turn provider for Fredrik Midtsjo to score the game’s fifth and final goal deep into second-half injury time.
Despite keeping five successive clean sheets prior to their Scandinavian sojourn, Galatasaray’s previous rearguard resilience very nearly counted for nought in Norway, and a one-goal cushion is hardly comfortable for the Turkish champions, who cannot afford to take their foot off the gas at home.
Nevertheless, Galatasaray’s success in the first leg made it three wins on the trot for Buruk’s men, who have prevailed in all three of their home matches so far this season without conceding once and are unbeaten in seven competitive contests since the new campaign commenced.
Now only 90 minutes away from returning to the Champions League group stage for the first time since the COVID-disrupted 2019-20 campaign, Galatasaray have enjoyed a weekend off from domestic duties to prepare for Tuesday’s pivotal European encounter, but Molde’s legs are also well-rested ahead of their shot at redemption.
Also taking a break from Eliteserien duty to prioritise their continental commitments, Molde should have departed the Aker Stadion with their heads held high last week, and Erling Moe’s men are no strangers to reversing a first-leg deficit in Champions League qualifying.
Indeed, since entering the preliminary rounds at the second stage, Molde suffered opening defeats to both HJK and Faroe Islands trailblazers KI Klaksvik, and on both occasions they overturned those defeats to prolong their top-tier European journey, although they needed extra time to put KI to the sword.
Furthermore, Molde’s previous Champions League turnarounds both came at home after they had fallen short on the road, and few will have faith in the Norwegian giants to pull off another noteworthy continental comeback at Rams Park, especially with their record across all tournaments now reading just one win from their last five.
Since their first and only group-stage appearance in the Champions League in the 2019-20 campaign, Molde have only ever won three top-level European contests away from home during their subsequent failed qualification ventures, but Moe’s side will at least be presented with a path to Europa League football should their comeback powers wane in Istanbul.
Galatasaray navigated the first leg without the services of the suspended Lucas Torreira, whose defensive grit in the middle of the park was sorely missed, but the ex-Arsenal man is now available again and could earn an immediate recall over Berkan Kutlu.
Buruk’s men emerged from that 3-2 victory with no further injury concerns, but Wilfried Zaha’s foot issue did not let up in time for the Ivorian winger to be involved, while Emin Bayram was only an unused substitute following a scare of his own.
With Zaha absent last week, Yunus Akgun was given the nod out wide, but with the 23-year-old leaving on loan for Leicester City, Hakim Ziyech could make his first appearance for Galatasaray after his temporary arrival from Chelsea.
Regarding the visitors, right-back Martin Linnes and striker Veton Berisha are being looked after by the Molde medical team as they recover from unspecified injuries, but Moe’s squad also came out of last week’s first leg unscathed on the physical front.
Given their valiant efforts at Aker Stadion, Moe should not deviate from his tried-and-tested 3-5-2 setup – even with his side needing to score at least twice to stand a chance of making it through – as Eirik Haugan continues to marshal the backline amid a domestic ban.
Galatasaray possible starting lineup:
Muslera; Boey, Nelsson, Bayram, Angelino; Torreira, Olivera; Ziyech, Mertens, Akturkoglu; Icardi
Molde possible starting lineup:
Karlstrom; Ellingsen, Bjornbak, Haugan; Knudtzon, Breivik, Mannsverk, Eriksen, Haugen; Eikrem, Brynhildsen
We say: Galatasaray 2-0 Molde (Galatasaray win 5-2 on aggregate)
Molde have not let a first-leg deficit extinguish their Champions League dreams so far this summer, but demoting Galatasaray to Europa League football in Istanbul is surely a pipe dream for Moe’s men.
With the tough-tackling Torreira back in the fold and Ziyech potentially being given the chance to make an early mark at Rams Park, the hosts should revert to type defensively and flaunt their enviable offensive talent to punch their ticket to the group stage.
