We have an intriguing encounter in Group A of the Champions League on Tuesday night as Galatasaray host Bayern Munich in Istanbul.
Galatasaray currently sit 2nd in Group A with one win and one draw from their first two games of the campaign.
The Turkish giants opened their 2023/24 Champions League campaign with a 2-2 draw against FC København before claiming a famous 3-2 win at Old Trafford last time out.
Galatasaray were fairly unconvincing in the draw against København with two goals in the final four minutes of normal time rescuing a point having trailed 0-2 but there were no doubts about the quality of their performance the second time round as they claimed a huge win over Manchester United.
Goals from Wilfried Zaha, Kerem Aktürkoğlu and Mauro Icardi sealed a statement win that now puts them well in control of a top two spot to progress to the knockout rounds.
Galatasaray have been busy in the transfer market for a while now and they've amassed what looks like a very handy team which is not only currently reflected in their Champions League performances but also domestically, where they remain unbeaten with seven wins and one draw as they look to defend their crown.
RAMS Park has traditionally been an intimidating place to visit for away sides and they'll need to lean into that heavy if they're to overcome a strong Bayern Munich side. As good as they are, though, they've looked far from infallible this season and the Turks might just fancy their chances here.
Bayern Munich currently sit top of Group A with two wins from their first two games of the campaign.
Thomas Tuchel's men began with a 4-3 win over Manchester United before claiming a second successive win over in Denmark against FC København by two goals to one.
While results have been decent Bayern have hardly been pulling up trees in terms of their performances this season which is effectively a continuation of last season's forgettable showing and the feeling is that they'll have to improve dramatically if they're to achieve anything remarkable this season despite boasting a talented squad.
Speaking of said talent, Harry Kane has at least adapted to life in Germany very quickly and appears to be gradually improving his contributions as he becomes more accustomed to his teammates and his surroundings; he enters this game with ten goals and five assists in eleven appearances for the Bavarians.
To counteract the postulations of pessimism around Bayern they are coming into this game off the back of two of their better performances this season: a 3-0 win over Freiburg and a 3-1 win away at Mainz. There are obvious holes in this Bayern side and they were attempts, unsuccessful ones, to address them over the summer; they may not be what they have been in years gone by but they still have some frightening talent in certain areas of the pitch and if Tuchel can keep improving them and stumble upon a formula that really works for this side then there's no reason they can't win this trophy.
As far as this game is concerned it's one Bayern should fancy themselves to win regardless of the intangible factors at play.
For our Galatasaray vs. Bayern Munich prediction, we're going for a 2-1 win for the away side.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of our previews, tips and offers for this weekend’s action.