Turkish giants Galatasaray are well aware they need to defeat mighty Juventus in order to make it to Champions League group stages and they are certainly hoping a hot atmosphere at Turk Telekom Arena will aid their cause. Meanwhile, the Bianconeri have the psychological advantage and they go into this game on the back of some impressive results in the league.

Tough task for Galatasaray

Club chiefs have invested a lot of money in an attempt to turn Galatasaray into genuine European powerhouses and the team did really well to reach the Champions League quarter-finals last season. However, things have not gone as planned this term, with Cimbom largely struggling in both Turkey and Europe. The club board eventually opted to replace legendary boss Fatih Terim with Roberto Mancini, but the Italian has failed to bring much needed improvement. As a result, Galatasaray currently sit nine points behind arch rivals Fenerbahce in the Turkish Super Lig standings, while they face an uphill task in the Champions League following back-to-back defeats to Real Madrid. And while Cimbom were pretty fortunate to hold Juventus to a 2-2 draw in the first match, this time they will be the ones needing to attack, which is likely to make the job even easier for the in-form visitors. Roberto Mancini plans to line up his team in a 3-5-2 formation, but this change of system is unlikely to produce the desired result.

Wesley Sneijder is back in contention, but Hamit Altintop is an injury doubt. There are no other worries for boss Roberto Mancini.

Juventus back on track

Juventus squad may not have undergone major changes in the summer, but Antonio Conte needed some time to integrate new signings Tevez and Llorente into his starting line-up. And while the Argentine fitted right in, the Spaniard needed more time, but he has recently been showing why top European clubs were vying for his signature. And with the entire team clicking into gear, the Bianconeri have been absolutely amazing of late, winning last seven Serie A games without conceding a single goal in the process. The team have been pretty unfortunate not to have already secured their place in the Champions League knockout stages, but they did well to return to the second place in the standings and now go into the crucial encounter against Galatasaray with a two-point cushion. This will allow Antonio Conte’s side to play patiently and wait for their chance to hurt the hosts on the break, with their amazing quality and huge experience likely to prevail in the end.

Andrea Pirlo is the only high-profile absentee, but with Claudio Marchisio ready to step in, chances are the veteran midfielder will not be sorely missed.

Verdict

Galatasaray have been largely struggling this season and they don’t look capable of ending Juventus’ amazing run of results. The Bianconeri are clearly on top of their game at the moment and they have got more than enough experience to win this game and ensure progress to the next stage.

Top pick: Away win   2.05 (21/20) @ Coral

Alternative pick 1: Under 2.5 goals   2.10 (11/10) @ Unibet

Alternative pick 2: Juventus to win to nil   3.75 (11/4) @ SkyBet