Barcelona’s first away night of their Champions League campaign takes them to Istanbul, where Galatasaray will test Hansi Flick’s unbeaten start to the season at the Ali Sami Yen.
The Turkish champions are seeking their first European victory after opening their campaign with defeat away to Sporting Lisbon. Okan Buruk’s side have the attacking names to make the occasion a demanding one, with Victor Osimhen, Leroy Sané and İlkay Gündoğan among the players available to lead the response.
Barcelona begin a demanding European stretch
For Flick, the trip to Galatasaray is the opening fixture in a severe ten-day sequence that will give Barcelona’s early momentum its clearest examination yet.
- Barcelona travel to Istanbul for their first Champions League away match of the season.
- They then return to domestic action against Real Betis.
- Paris Saint-Germain follow in the Champions League.
- Barcelona’s run concludes with a league meeting against Real Madrid.
That schedule makes the Galatasaray match more than an isolated group-stage assignment. A result in Istanbul would allow Barcelona to carry their strong opening form into a run containing major domestic and continental pressure.
Rotation expected without Raphinha
Barcelona arrive with confidence, but Raphinha remains unavailable after returning from international duty with a fitness problem. The forward’s absence removes one of Flick’s principal goalscoring threats for a match in a hostile away setting.
Flick is expected to continue rotating his side. João Cancelo, Pau Cubarsí, Fermín López and Karim Adeyemi, all of whom started on the bench against Getafe in the league, are in contention to come into the starting team.
Galatasaray, beaten in Lisbon on the opening matchday, have the immediate opportunity to reset their European campaign in front of their own support. Barcelona, still unbeaten this season, face their first major away examination before an increasingly unforgiving sequence of fixtures.
