Champions League: Real Out to Sweep Aside Goal-Shy Galatasaray

Real Madrid vs Galatasaray

At long last, Real Madrid finally picked up their first win of this year’s Champions League campaign during their visit to Galatasaray.

Real can all but secure qualification to the next round alongside Group A leaders Paris Saint-Germain if they can take all three points at the Bernabeu.

Real remain a formidable force at home. But they’ve had some recent setbacks that suggest this match won’t be as much of a foregone conclusion as the Champions League 2019 odds would indicate.

Talking Points

Real showing improvement

Real Madrid are still a bit of a work in progress. They failed to pick up a third win in a row for the first time this season over the weekend as they could only draw with Real Betis — who are 15th in La Liga — at the Bernabeu.

That result came after they smashed bottom-club Leganes 5-0, which was by far their biggest win of the season to date.

Although, Real were a bit unlucky not to get the win. They battered Betis’ goal, firing in 22 shots with seven on target.

It’s the third match in a row where Real recorded over 20 shots in a match. That run began with their 1-0 victory away to Galatasaray in the Champions League.

The Spanish giants dominated that match as they had 26 shots (12 on target) to the hosts’ 11. That match also saw under-fire keeper Thibaut Courtois come up with a couple of important saves.

The return to health of midfielder Luka Modric has been a big boost for Real. The reigning Ballon d’Or winner missed Real’s trip to Turkey but should be back in the starting XI at the Bernabeu.

Meanwhile, Real could use their forwards — Karim Benzema, Eden Hazard, and co. — to start firing in Europe. Their three-goal scorers thus far in the Champions League have been defender Sergio Ramos as well as midfielders Casemiro and Toni Kroos, who scored the winner against Galatasaray.

Champions League: Eden Hazard and Co. will host Galatasaray at Santiago Bernabeu — Eden Hazard warming up ahead of Real Madrid’s match against Real Betis

Galatasaray in desperate need of goals

Galatasaray are currently in the bottom of Group A with one point through three games. However, they are just a couple of points behind Real Madrid in second and a point behind Club Brugge for third, so they are still very much alive.

However, it will obviously be a tough ask to pick up a positive result at the Bernabeu. And it will be especially difficult given Galatasaray’s struggles to find the back of the net.

The Turks haven’t created too many Champions League 2019 highlights and have the unenviable distinction of being the only team left in the competition that still hasn’t scored a single goal.

Scoring goals has been an ongoing issue for the team this season. They’ve scored just 11 goals in 10 games in the Turkish Super Lig, where they are currently way down in seventh.

Ryan Babel is the team’s leading scorer with four goals and Florin Andone is second with two. Radamel Falcao has been a major disappointment since his arrival in the summer, while former Turkish wunderkind Emre Mor has also failed to make an impact.

On the other end, Galatasaray’s defence has held up well, which is positive. They’ve conceded just two goals, keeping the high-powered attacks of Real and PSG to just a goal apiece. Despite their struggles going forward, they could still frustrate Real’s attack once more.

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History

Real Madrid and Galatasaray have squared off eight times in their history, with Real winning five and Galatasaray winning three.

Although, Madrid have won all three matches against Galatasaray in Spain. Their most recent win was a 4-1 victory at the Bernabéu on Matchday 5 six years ago.

Galatasaray are on a five-game losing streak against Spanish clubs and are 1-4-10 overall in away matches in Spain. The Turkish giants are winless in their last 10 European matches (three draws, seven defeats).

Betting Tip

	Real Madrid vs Galatasaray	Under 3.50 Goals @ 1.90
	November 07, 04:00 (GMT+8)

The SBOBET odds for Real Madrid-Galatasaray are quite similar to the ones for Barcelona-Slavia Praha. Real are heavy favourites at 1.20 while the visitors are massive underdogs at 11.00.

I also anticipate a Real Madrid win. While they slipped up against Club Brugge, they are eager to bounce back from their setback against Betis.

With Galatasaray’s struggles in attack as well as their somewhat capable defence, this figures to be another grind of a game just like the one in Turkey. That’s why I’m going for the total to go under 3.50 goals.