Bayern Munich vs Galatasaray preview, team news, tickets & prediction

Bayern Munich are not at the top of the Bundesliga, but they have been getting better week after week. At the same time, Galatasaray has done much more this season, leading the Turkish league and unbeaten across all competitions as of the time of writing. 

Bayern Munich, who lost the German Super Cup final to RB Leipzig 3-0, have recovered to stay among the top three teams on the Bundesliga log. Thomas Tuchel’s side opened the season with a comfortable 4-0 win over Werder Bremen. Harry Kane, who arrived from Tottenham in the summer, has been adapting to life quickly in Germany as he wasted no time to get going. He has scored eight times and contributed four assists in his first seven Bundesliga appearances and has two goal involvements in two appearances in the UEFA Champions League.

The Bavarians defeated Manchester United 3-2 in their UEFA Champions League group opener before hitting seventh heaven against Bochum in the Bundesliga just a few days later. Another comfortable win in the DFB Pokal followed before RB Leipzig held them to a 2-2 draw. Bayern Munich recovered from a goal down to beat Copenhagen in the UCL and returned to winning ways in the Bundesliga against Freiburg before the October international break. 

On the other hand, several Turkish teams spent big in the summer, including Galatasaray. With the arrival of Wilfred Zaha and Hakim Ziyech from the Premier League, they have been unbeaten since the start of the season, and they are looking like the real deal both at home and abroad.

By the recent performances of Turkish teams in the UEFA competitions, Gala’s season started in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers. The Turkish side edged Zalgiris 3-2 in the first round after a draw in Lithuania and a slim 1-0 win in the return leg at the RAMS Park in Istanbul. Against Ljubljana in the next game, Gala took a 3-0 first-leg away win and backed it up with a routine 1-0 home win to seal progression 4-0 on aggregate. 

In the Turkish Super League, they kicked off their season with a goalless draw with Kayserispor before claiming a 2-0 win over Trabzonspor to earn their first league win. In the UEFA Champions League playoffs, Galatasaray edged Molde 5-3 on aggregate to return to the group stages of Europe’s elite competition. Before their UEFA Champions League group opener draw against Copenhagen, Gala claimed two consecutive league wins over Gaziantep and Samsunspor. 

Both teams faced off in this competition in 1972, finishing 7-1 on aggregate in favour of the Bavarians. Times may have changed, and although Gala looks like a side that can cause trouble, Bayern’s record in the group stages is unmatchable. 

Following the win at Copenhagen, Bayern Munich’s unbeaten run in the Champions League group stage stood at 36 games. The German record champions have also won the last 16 games in a row and are now the first team in Champions League history to go unbeaten in 18 group stage away games.

Although Galatasaray have won the UEFA and Super Cup before, they have yet to make their mark in this competition. On the other hand, the Bavarians last won the competition in 2019/20 and have suffered three consecutive quarter-final exits in the Champions League since then. 

Match tickets

The epic match at Allianz Arena in Munich kicks off on Wednesday, 8th November, at 9 PM UK time, and it will be shown live on TNT Sports, with coverage starting from around 8 PM.

This is a UEFA Champions League clash between two unbeaten teams in Europe’s top flight. Wednesday will be a special night at the 75,000-capacity stadium, and Galatasaray fans should be present in their numbers to support their side. 

Getting Bayern Munich vs. Galatasaray tickets could take a lot of work, given the profile of this game. Hence, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels. 

Team news

Line-ups

Thomas Tuchel has several players currently in the physio’s room. Joshua Kimmich and Choupo-Moting should shake off their minor injuries and feature in this contest. Jamal Musiala, who delivered a breathtaking performance against Manchester United, is expected to continue in that number 10 role, while Harry Kane leads the attack. Meanwhile, club captain Manuel Neuer, Raphael Guerreiro, Dayot Upamecano, and Matthijs De Ligt are expected to miss this game.

Bayern Munich: Ulreich; Mazraoui, Laimer, Kim, Davies; Goretzka, Kimmich; Sane, Musiala, Muller; Kane.

Apart from Ziyech, Galatasaray does not have any significant injury casualties. The likes of Angelino, Mauro Icardi – who scored the winner against Manchester United at Old Trafford -, and Mertens are expected to play a part in this contest. 

Galatasaray: Muslera; Boey, Ayhan, Bardakci, Angelino; Torreira, Demirbay; Tete, Mertens, Akturkoglu; Icardi.

Prediction

Bayern Munich’s UEFA Champions League record in the group stage will be on the line again, and Galatasaray will need to up their efforts if they intend to take a win away from Munich. 

Meanwhile, Galatasaray can bank on their solid form so far this season. They have won 11 of their last 12 games in all competitions as of the time of writing. 

Things are beginning to take shape in this group, and Gala needs a result to keep them going and keep Manchester United away from them. 

Bayern Munich 3-1 Galatasaray