Galatasaray vs Hatayspor: Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

Friday marks the beginning of the Turkish Super Lig season as Galatasaray and Hatayspor meet at RAMS Park for their first match.

This season, the hosts will start their pursuit of a record-tying third straight Premier League crown. Last season, they won with 102 points.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

After a historic season in which they emphatically won their 24th league championship last time around, Galatasaray will begin their latest title defense in the Turkish Super Lig on Friday.

Defending their title from the previous season, the Sari-Kirmizililar finished three points ahead of Fenerbahce, who stayed in close pursuit, with 102 points from 38 games. They won 33 of those games and only lost twice.

Mauro Icardi scored twice and Berkan Kutlu scored once as Okan Buruk's squad rallied from a loss to the team in second position in the previous round of matches to beat Konyaspor, 3-1, away from home.

After a patchwork of preseason friendlies in July, the Istanbul giants returned to their competitive game in the Turkish Super Cup final against Besiktas earlier this month. Unfortunately, they couldn't get their season off to a winning start, losing 5-0 thanks to goals from Ciro Immobile, Jonas Svensson, Rafa Silva, Mustafa Hekimoglu, and Rafa Silva.

Now that they've moved over that setback, Galatasaray will be looking to get off to a strong start in the capital on Friday as they begin their latest championship defense.

Even though they had an unpleasant journey in the first round of top-flight matches, the visiting team will still be looking to get off to a good start in their most recent Turkish Super Lig season.

With a more solid goal in mind, Hatayspor will begin their fourth straight Super Lig season after achieving promotion to Turkey's top flight in 2020. They last finished in 15th place in the 2023-24 term.

They had dropped to fourth place after four consecutive losses, but they staged a miraculous comeback in the last weeks of the season, winning two of their last four games and drawing the other two. On the last day of the season, they beat Caykur Rizespor 2-0 at home on goals from Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Carlos Strandberg, lifting them out of the cellar.

After a miraculous comeback from a disappointing campaign to maintain their top-flight status, Hatayspor will be looking to get their season off to a solid start this term, beginning with a potentially eye-catching away victory in their season opener.

Galatasaray x Hatayspor Team News

After last week's 5-0 Turkish Super Cup loss to Besiktas, Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk may use several players. Defender Victor Nelsson will miss this match due to suspension after his red card in that match.

His absence means Abdulkerim Bardakci and Davinson Sanchez will form a back four. At the same time, Kerem Demirbay and Gabriel Sara, a summer acquisition, will battle for a starting spot in the center of the field after the preferences of Lucas Torreira and Berkan Kutlu at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.

Mauro Icardi is expected to start up front, having scored 47 goals and provided 16 assists in 58 appearances for the Turkish Super Lig in the past two seasons. Hakim Ziyech, Wilfried Zaha, Dries Mertens, and Kerem Akturkoglu will vie for starting roles as supporting players. Michy Batshuayi, who joined in the off-season from Fenerbahce and Besiktas, will be content to sit on the bench.

Midfielders Rayane Aabid, Giorgi Aburjania, and Mehdi Boudjemaa have all left Hatayspor for the upcoming season. At the same time, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru has gone on loan to Lazio after having an impressive first season, contributing to nine goals and six assists in 39 games.

But they've made moves to bolster the roster, with new midfielder Lamine Diack vying for a starting spot and attackers Jonathan Okoronkwo and Funsho Bamgboye vying for first-team opportunities.

After leading the team in scoring thirteen goals last season, Carlos Strandberg will likely keep his starting position. Massage Matondo and Guy-Marcelin Kilama will likely continue to play essential roles in the center and defense when the new season begins.

Our Predictions

Galatasaray to win @ 1.20 on Sky247.ng

Even though Galatasaray will be hurting after last week's crushing Super Cup loss, they should be able to get back on track and open their Super Lig defense with a resounding home victory on Friday.

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