Our prediction for this Champions League match:
Galatasaray
Match Time & Date:
29/08/2023
12:00 PM
Prediction: 2-1
Molde
A place in the Champions League group stages will be at stake when Galatasaray and Molde face each other in Istanbul on Tuesday evening. The Turks won the first leg 3-2, with substitute Fredrik Midtsjo scoring a late winner. Galatasaray are a real force to be reckoned with at home and seeing that the club chiefs did well to reinforce the squad in the summer transfer window, home win should be considered.
The good news for the hosts is that midfielder Lucas Torreira is back from suspension, while Wilfried Zaha should play some part after missing the first leg with a foot injury. The Norwegians, on the other hand, are eager to overcome a one-goal deficit at Rams Park, but given the number of high-profile players in Okan Buruk’s team, we believe that there is a big value in betting on the home side. Both Berisha and Linnes should miss out with injuries for the visiting team.
Highlighted Player (Dries Mertens):
Dries Mertens is a Belgian football player born on the 6th of May 1987 in Leuven. Mertens started his football career in the youth of RSC Anderlecht and AA Gent. In season 2005/2006 he made his debut for the first team of AA Gent.
After playing for AGOVV, FC Utrecht and PSV Mertens got transferred to Napoli for approximately 9.5 million euro. Mertens made his debut for the Belgian national team in October 2010 and played over 40 games for the national team already. Mertens played during World Cup 2014 and EURO 2016 for Belgium.
Mertens is a right attacking midfielder, which can play as a forward as well. Mertens is known for being a very small fast player, which has the ability to get past several defenders and deliver a cross to his team mates. In his career Mertens didn’t win any big prizes yet. The biggest achievements of Mertens are winning the Dutch national cup with PSV in 2011/2012, the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa in 2014 with Napoli.
Highlighted Team (Molde):
Based in Molde, Norway, Molde FK are one of the most successful Eliteserien clubs of the century. The Blues won their fourth domestic championship in 2019, with the team finishing the process 14 points clear of second-place Bodo.
However, Molde failed to defend their trophy the following season as Bodo looked unstoppable in the Norwegian top flight. Speaking of the Norwegian Cup, the Blues clinched their fourth silverware in 2014, with the team beating Odd 2-0 in the title game. The Eliteserien outfit play home games at Aker Stadion, the venue with the capacity of 11,249 spectators.
Thanks to a second-place finish in the 1998 Eliteserien campaign, Molde qualified for the Champions League for the first time ever. As a result, the likes of Real, Porto, and Olympiakos visited Norway. Molde are well known for their blue shirts and white shorts, with the team wearing white jerseys and blue shorts when playing on the road.
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