Galatasaray opens the curtain in the Champions League: Opponent Eintracht Frankfurt

Galatasaray will host Germany's Eintracht Frankfurt today in the first week of the UEFA Champions League .

The match, to be held at Frankfurt Stadium, will kick off at 10:00 PM Turkish time. Italian referee Marco Guida will be the referee. Guida will be assisted by Giorgio Peretti and Giuseppe Perrotti. The fourth official will be Daniele Chiffi. The match will be broadcast on TRT 1.

By winning their third consecutive championship in the Trendyol Super League, their 25th overall, Galatasaray has automatically qualified for the UEFA Champions League. Galatasaray has become the first Turkish team to participate in the new 36-team format of Europe's largest club football competition.

Having made a good start in the league by winning 5 out of 5, Okan Buruk's students want to carry their good performance to the "Giants League" by getting a point or points against their strong rival Eintracht Frankfurt.

The German team, meanwhile, finished third in the German First Football League (Bundesliga) last season, securing a direct berth in the UEFA Champions League. Eintracht Frankfurt has had two wins and one loss in the Bundesliga, which is now in its third week. Frankfurt's side suffered a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, who played with one man down for about 30 minutes and finished the match with nine men.

OSIMHEN'S SITUATION IS UNCERTAIN

Whether Galatasaray's injured Victor Osimhen will play in the match will be determined after today's training session.

Osimhen, who was injured in the Nigerian National Team's match against Rwanda in the FIFA 2026 World Cup Qualifiers, could not play in the match against Eyüpspor in the 5th week of the Super League.

Osimhen, who is undergoing an intensive treatment program due to a strain and bleeding in his ankle, will play in the Eintracht Frankfurt match depending on the severity of his pain.

If Victor Osimhen is unavailable for the Frankfurt match, manager Okan Buruk is expected to use Barış Alper Yılmaz at centre forward, while Mauro Icardi, who is not yet physically ready, is expected to sit on the bench as an attacking midfielder.

Galatasaray won its last 16 matches

Galatasaray won its last 16 official matches.

Having suffered their last defeat in the Beşiktaş derby in the 29th week of the Trendyol Super League last season, the yellow-reds have won all 16 matches since then.

Following the Beşiktaş derby, Galatasaray defeated Samsunspor, Bodrum FK, Trabzonspor, Göztepe, and Başakşehir 2-0, Kayserispor 3-0, Sivasspor 4-1, and Eyüpspor 5-1 in the league. The yellow-and-reds also defeated Fenerbahçe 2-1, Konyaspor 5-1, and Trabzonspor 3-0 in the Ziraat Turkish Cup.

In the first four weeks of the season, the yellow-red team defeated Gaziantep FK and Mısırlı.com.tr Fatih Karagümrük 3-0, Kayserispor 4-0, and Çaykur Rizespor 3-1. Most recently, "Cimbom" defeated Eyüpspor 2-0.

Galatasaray scored 47 goals in the said competitions and conceded only 5 goals.

UEFA SQUAD

Galatasaray's UEFA list includes the following players:

Ugurcan Cakir, Batuhan Sen, Gunay Guvenc, Metehan Baltaci, Ismail Jakobs, Davinson Sanchez, Eren Elmali, Kaan Ayhan, Abdulkerim Bardakci, Wilfried Singo, Arda Unyay, Gabriel Sara, Leroy Sane, Berkan Kutlu, Ilkay Gundogan, Ahmed Kutucu, Lucas Torreira, Mario Lemina, Roland Sallai, Mauro Icardi, Yunus Akgun, Yusuf Demir, Victor Osimhen, Baris Alper Yilmaz.

CAN UZUN PLAYING IN FRANKFURT

The German team has Can Uzun, one of the young players of the National Team, in its squad.

The 19-year-old international, who joined from Nuremberg at the start of last season, has become a key player for Eintracht Frankfurt this season. Can has made three Bundesliga appearances for the red-and-whites, scoring three goals.

Eintracht Frankfurt also features Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi, who spent the first half of last season with Galatasaray. Batshuayi, who has appeared in two league matches this season, failed to contribute in his 26 minutes on the pitch.

2 MISSING FROM THE HOME TEAM

Two players will not be able to compete against Galatasaray in Eintracht Frankfurt.

Experienced midfielder Mario Götze and Danish right-back Rasmus Kristensen, who are both struggling with muscle injuries, will be unavailable for today's match. The condition of the team's key midfielder, Sweden's Hugo Larsson, who is struggling with intestinal problems, will be determined at match time.