Galatasaray has 3 Absences Before the PAOK Match
In the UEFA Europa League, Galatasaray will host PAOK in their first match. The yellow-red team will be without suspended goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, injured Hakim Ziyech, and Roland Sallai, who was not included in the squad submitted to UEFA.
Galatasaray will welcome the Greek team PAOK tomorrow in their first Europa League match at RAMS Park, starting at 22:00. The match will be officiated by Spanish referee Alejandro Hernandez.
Galatasaray started their European adventure this year in the UEFA Champions League playoff round. They faced Swiss team Young Boys in the playoff round, losing with scores of 3-2 and 1-0, and will continue their journey in the UEFA Europa League.
In the new format of the tournament, Galatasaray will compete against 8 teams, facing RFS, Elfsborg, Tottenham, AZ Alkmaar, Malmö, Dinamo Kiev, and Ajax after their match with PAOK.
PAOK, eliminated by Swedish team Malmö in the 3rd qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, qualified for the league stage of the Europa League after defeating Shamrock Rovers from Ireland with scores of 2-0 and 4-0 in the playoff round.
GALATASARAY HAS 3 ABSENCES
Fernando Muslera, Hakim Ziyech, and Roland Sallai will not be able to play in the PAOK match.
Fernando Muslera received a red card for tripping Alan Virginius after the opposing team scored in their match against Young Boys, which resulted in a 3-match suspension from UEFA, making him unavailable for tomorrow’s match.
Hakim Ziyech, who was injured while playing for the Moroccan national team against Lesotho, will also miss the match.
Roland Sallai, who transferred to Galatasaray from German team Freiburg on the last day of the transfer window, will not play as he was not included in the UEFA Europa League squad.
OKAN BURUK RETURNS
Galatasaray’s head coach Okan Buruk will return to the bench for the PAOK match after serving his suspension.
Okan Buruk received a 2-match ban from the UEFA Disciplinary Board due to incidents that occurred after the match against Sparta Prague, which eliminated them from the Europa League last season. He will be back on the bench for the PAOK match after the Young Boys encounters.
GALATASARAY’S GOAL SCORERS
Galatasaray’s goal-scoring burden is shared by Michy Batshuayi, Barıs Alper Yılmaz, and Dries Mertens.
Both Michy Batshuayi and Barıs Alper Yılmaz have scored four goals in all competitions, while Dries Mertens has found the net three times, playing a significant role in the yellow-red team’s matches since the start of the season.
THEY HAVE WON 6 OUT OF 6 IN THE SUPER LEAGUE
Galatasaray has made a strong start to the season by winning all 6 of their matches in the Trendyol Super League, placing them at the top of the points table.
They have defeated Atakas Hatayspor and TIMOSAN Konyaspor 2-1, Gaziantep FK and Fenerbahce 3-1, Adana Demirspor 5-1, and Caykur Rizespor 5-0, holding a total of 18 points and leading the Super League standings.
EUROPEAN PERFORMANCE
Galatasaray has lost its last three matches in European competitions. Last season, in the UEFA Europa League playoff round second leg, they were defeated 4-1 by Czech team Sparta Prague. At the start of this season, they also lost to Swiss team Young Boys with scores of 1-0 and 3-2 in the UEFA Champions League playoff round.
A FAMILIAR NAME AT PAOK
Razvan Lucescu, the son of Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu, who has previously managed Galatasaray, Besiktas, and the Turkish national team, is currently the head coach of PAOK.
Razvan Lucescu has been the head coach of PAOK since the 2021-2022 season. Before that, he managed teams such as Al-Hilal, Skoda Xanthi, Petrolul, El-Jaish, Rapid Bucharest, the Romanian national team, and Brasov.
Having also worked at PAOK from 2017 to 2019, Razvan Lucescu won the Greek Super League and the Greek Cup twice each during his time there.
Last season, PAOK secured the championship in the Greek Super League. They finished the first 26 weeks of the league with 60 points, and in the last week of the playoffs, they defeated Aris 2-1 away, reaching a total of 80 points and completing the season as champions.
This season, PAOK has had a strong start, achieving 4 wins and 1 draw in their first 5 league matches, currently sitting at the top of the table with 13 points.
GALATASARAY’S SQUAD
Galatasaray’s squad submitted for the UEFA Europa League includes the following players:
Fernando Muslera, Ahmet Sen, Gunay Guvenç, Ismail Jakobs, Davinson Sanchez, Kaan Ayhan, Elias Jelert, Victor Nelsson, Abdulkadir Bardakci, Metehan Baltaci, Kerem Demirbay, Gabriel Sara, Berkan Kutlu, Hakim Ziyech, Lucas Torreira, Dries Mertens, Yusuf Demir, Yunus Akgun, Baris Alper Yilmaz, Mauro Icardi, Michy Batshuayi, Victor Osimhen.
