Post their first-ever defeat in La Liga this season, Real Madrid will be travelling to face Galatasaray in the group stages of the Champions League.
Madrid will have to gather their thoughts after the 1-0 defeat to Mallorca as nothing less than a win versus Galatasaray will enhance their chances of making it to the next round.
The 13 times European Champions have picked up just one point in Group A through a draw against Brugge at home. Prior to that, Zidane’s men had to suffer a 3-0 defeat by the hands of Paris Saint-Germain. Galatasaray, just like Madrid have secured a single point in the European Competition so far, and haven’t won a game in the tournament since the last matches.
Match Details
Date- Wednesday, October 23 | Time- 12:30 AM (IST) | Venue- Turk Telekom Arena
Galatasaray
Radamel Falcao’s inclusion in the playing eleven remains in doubt as the Colombian centre forward is yet to fully recover from his Achilles issue.
However, there is a possibility of him being on the bench against Madrid.
Mario Lemina is ruled out due to a thigh injury, while Emre Akbaba is only expected to back by 2020 as he broke his leg. Christian Luyindama seems to have recovered from injury and is likely to start at centre half for the forthcoming fixture.
Real Madrid
As for Los Blancos, Eden Hazard and Dani Carvajal should be back in the team sheet after being rested against RCD Mallorca. Nacho, Luka Modric, Marco Asensio and Gareth Bale are all sidelined against Galatasaray. However, Toni Kroos is back in the squad and should be partnering along Casemiro and Federick Valverde in central midfield. Ferland Mendy could get some European action, while Raphael Varane is also likely to be back in defensive duties.
Predicted Lineups
Galatasaray- Muslera; Marcao, Luyindama, Donk; Nagatomo, Seri, N’Zonzi, Mariano; Babel, Andone, Belhanda
Real Madrid- Courtois; Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Mendy; Kroos, Casemiro, Valverde; Vinicius, Benzema, Hazard
Key Points
In the previous six meetings between the two sides, it’s Real Madrid who’s had the upper hand with five wins in contrast to Galatasaray’s solitary win.
Galatasaray has failed to score in six of their last seven Champions League games.
Real Madrid has scored two or more goals in their last eight encounters with the Turkish club.
Top Picks
Florin Andone has made an impact for Galatasaray in just three appearances so far. The 26-year-old has scored two goals in the Turkish league and will be eyeing a big goal against a big club the Champions League.
For Real Madrid, Karim Benzema needs to step up and be amongst the goals since a win is a must for his side. Benzema has scored six goals in 10 appearances this seasons.
Casemiro in midfield has more often than not played the anchor role for Madrid. The Brazil international will be vital in breaking up play and moving the ball forward. Casemiro has a pass success ration of 87% this season.
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GAL vs RM Dream11 Today Match Prediction | Fantasy Team
Goalkeeper- T Courtois
Defenders- C Luyindama, R Varane, S Ramos, R Donk
Midfielders- T Kroos, Casemiro (C), Y Belhanda
Forwards- R Babel, F Andone, K Benzema