Zalgiris vs Galatasaray

Lithuanian champions Zalgiris play host to Turkish heavyweights Galatasaray at the LFF stadionas in the first leg of their Champions League qualification quarter-final tie.

Zalgiris squeezed past North Macedonian champions Struga in the opening Champions League qualifying round, running out 2-1 aggregate victors. After a goalless first-leg draw at home, they found themselves 1-0 down in the 76th minute, only to turn the game on its head, courtesy of a quick-fire double. Inspired by a hard-fought European success, the ‘Green Whites’ dismantled sub-par Lithuanian rivals Suduva 4-0 in the build-up to this clash, with all four goals coming beyond halftime. Indeed, Zalgiris’ rather uneventful first-half performances have seen them draw a blank before the break in their last three matches in a row. However, that hasn’t stopped them from taking their impressive unbeaten run to 11 games (W8, D3), not to mention they eventually scored 2+ goals on eight occasions.

On the other hand, a lack of competitive form could plague Galatasaray’s bid to reach the Champions League group stages for the first time since 2019/20. Despite lifting the Turkish Super Lig crown last season to end a four-year title drought in domestic football, Okan Buruk’s men have failed to impress in pre-season, picking up just one win in four matches (D1, L2). But they’re still odds-on favorites to progress from this tie, especially considering they have won their last six competitive games on the trot by a combined score of 15-1! Three of their most recent such triumphs have come by a three-goal margin, highlighting their confidence ahead of this trip.