Barcelona arrive in Istanbul with early control of their Champions League campaign within reach, but Galatasaray’s need for a first point, a 50,000-strong home crowd and the attacking threat of Victor Osimhen make RAMS Park a demanding first away night for Hansi Flick’s side.
The Spanish champions have opened the season at full pace, scoring 39 times across all competitions and putting five past Feyenoord in their first European fixture. Galatasaray, beaten by Sporting Lisbon in Matchday 1, have a very different task: turn their strong domestic form into a result on the continental stage.
Barcelona take their firepower to Istanbul
Flick’s team followed the international break with a 3-0 win over Getafe and have won every match in one of the strongest starts in the club’s recent history. They have struck 34 league goals in eight games, an average of more than four per match, before adding five against Feyenoord in the Champions League.
Joan Laporta, speaking before travelling by ferry to the traditional directors’ lunch, said Barcelona were in a good moment. The president described the squad as focused and highly motivated, adding that he believed the club were playing the best football in the world.
The visit to Galatasaray begins a defining run. Barcelona’s upcoming schedule also includes Betis, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, with the PSG match and El Clásico falling in the same physically demanding week.
- Barcelona opened their Champions League season by defeating Feyenoord 5-0, with Lamine Yamal scoring once and supplying two assists.
- After the international break, Flick’s side beat Getafe 3-0 despite a comparatively quieter attacking display by their standards.
- They now travel to Istanbul seeking a second successive Champions League win and a position near the top of the league-phase standings.
- The next European test will be followed by a domestic and continental sequence that includes Betis, PSG and Real Madrid.
Goals, absences and selection questions
Raphinha is Barcelona’s principal absentee. The Brazilian has been involved in 14 of his side’s 39 goals this season, and his missing output was less obvious against Getafe at Spotify Camp Nou than it may be on an away Champions League night.
Anthony Gordon scored his first Barcelona goal in that victory after returning from international duty in strong form. He had registered three goals and an assist for England, while contributing five assists for Barcelona across La Liga and the Champions League before breaking his scoring duck.
Gordon, Yamal, Gabriel Jesus and Adeyemi are expected to carry more of the attacking responsibility without Raphinha.
Barcelona are also chasing a second clean sheet in a row. They have not managed consecutive shutouts since their first two games of the season, against Elche and Athletic Club. Joan García has conceded six goals in eight appearances.
Flick’s defensive choices remain open after he altered his planned roles against Getafe. Eric García, expected to be used at right-back this season, played centrally, while Jules Koundé moved from the centre to the flank. Whether that arrangement is retained in Istanbul is one of the major questions around the visiting line-up.
Cubarsí faces Osimhen again
Pau Cubarsí’s previous major European encounter with Osimhen remains a marker of his rapid rise. The Catalan defender made his Champions League debut aged 17 against Napoli, kept the Nigerian forward under close control and was named player of the match.
Paolo Montero has compared Cubarsí to Paolo Maldini, while pointing to La Masia’s continuing ability to produce elite-level talent. Cubarsí himself spoke before the Galatasaray match about individual recognition, saying that Ballon d’Or consideration could be possible but that he approaches it more calmly than Yamal.
Osimhen is central to Galatasaray’s hopes. He has either scored or provided an assist in every match he has played this season. Alongside Rafael Leão and Leroy Sané, he gives the Turkish side proven attacking quality, although all three have also had moments when their temperament has worked against them.
The intensity of Galatasaray’s support fits that group of players, but can also heighten tension around the team. Around 50,000 supporters are expected in a stadium famed for its hostility towards visiting sides.
Galatasaray’s European response
Okan Buruk’s team have made an impressive start in the Süper Lig, taking 16 points from a possible 21 and sitting first, one point ahead of Besiktas. Their Champions League start has not matched it: defeat in Lisbon left them in the lower part of the table after one round.
- Galatasaray began their league campaign with 16 points from seven matches, enough to lead Besiktas by one point.
- They then lost their Champions League opener away to Sporting Lisbon.
- With Barcelona arriving in Istanbul, Buruk’s side will attempt to open their European points account in front of their home support.
Ilkay Gündogan, formerly of Barcelona, is now part of the Galatasaray squad but has played only 11 minutes all season and is not firmly in Buruk’s plans. Asked after Friday’s match against Kasimpasa whether he was ready to face his former club, the German responded bluntly that there was little reason to be prepared if he was not going to play.
A return to a familiar Turkish night
Barcelona last visited RAMS Park four years ago under Xavi Hernández, when their European season depended on surviving a Europa League tie. Galatasaray went ahead through Marcao, a goal that levelled the contest, before Pedri equalised and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang secured Barcelona’s passage to the quarter-finals.
That run later ended painfully against Eintracht Frankfurt, both on the pitch and amid the atmosphere at Camp Nou. This time Barcelona return in a sharply altered position: not trying to rescue their season in the Europa League, but travelling as one of the leading contenders for the Champions League.
They have also gone almost a year without an away Champions League defeat. Their last loss on the road in the competition came on 25 November 2025, when Chelsea won 3-0 at Stamford Bridge. Barcelona were outplayed even before Ronald Araújo’s dismissal reduced them to 10 men.
For Flick’s side, Istanbul offers a chance to confirm that their explosive start can travel. For Galatasaray, the night is about ensuring that domestic authority is not undermined by an early European deficit.
