Young Boys (Sui) vs Galatasaray (Tur) prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Qualification betting tips on match 2024-08-20 19:00.
[p]For the second successive season, Swiss side Young Boys will be looking to make it through the final stage of UEFA Champions League (UCL) qualification and reach the group-stage equivalent of the competition. Last year, they got the better of Maccabi Haifa over two legs in the play-off round, winning both the home leg and the overall tie 3-0, and now they’ll be looking to do similar as they welcome Galatasaray to town. [/p]
[p]The hosts warmed up for this opening leg by winning 10-0 at the weekend in the Swiss Cup – the first time since August 2022 that they’ve netted double figures in a competitive match – and they’ll be looking to replicate that clinical edge here to maintain their unbeaten run against Turkish sides in European football (W1, D1). But with just two victories across their last 13 UCL outings (D4, L7), the odds look stacked against them here, especially after conceding 2+ goals in five of their last six fixtures in the competition. [/p]
[p]Visiting Galatasaray will dream of producing a similar scoring performance in this opening clash to take some form of advantage back to Istanbul with them for the second leg the following week. They enter this stage of qualification after winning the Turkish Süper Lig in 2023/24, amassing a whopping 102 points in the process, and their title defence remains perfect so far after winning both of their opening league games. [/p]
[p]With Galatasaray’s solid prior European record against Swiss sides to lean on for some extra motivation (W11, D2, L4), manager Okan Buruk will be confident that his men can avoid defeat in Bern, especially as they’ve won 13 of their last 15 competitive outings (L2). Much of that form has been built on their scintillating attacking production, as Gala scored 2+ goals in 11 of those matches! [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Young Boys forward Cedric Itten netted a morale-boosting hat-trick at the weekend, while four of his six strikes before that match came on or beyond the 70th minute. Mauro Icardi has struck 14 UCL goals in total during his career, with his three in qualification for Galatasaray last campaign all coming in the opening 30 minutes. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Seven of Galatasaray’s last eight UCL matches saw both teams score on the day.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Nathan Evans[/i][/p]