Galatasaray host Göztepe in Turkish Süper Lig round three clash

Match context

On Saturday, August 29, defending champions Galatasaray host Izmir side Göztepe at RAMS Park stadium in Istanbul for round three of the Turkish Süper Lig. Sports Mole lists kickoff at 7:30pm, while Turkish outlet Kahta Haber Postası, publishing at 19:33 local time, reported that kickoff was still three hours away — the sources do not agree on the exact start time.

Form guide

Galatasaray opened the season with a 2-2 draw against newly promoted Çorum before thrashing Erzurumspor 4-0, with goals from Roland Sallai, Yunus Akgün and a brace from Victor Osimhen. Their four points leave them second, two behind surprise leaders Gençlerbirliği. Göztepe, meanwhile, shared a thrilling 3-3 draw at Samsunspor before losing 0-1 at home to Gençlerbirliği, a game in which Malcom Bokele missed a penalty before Sekou Koita scored the winner — leaving Göztepe with just one point.

Stats and history

Galatasaray are unbeaten at home in 36 consecutive league matches, their last home defeat coming against Fenerbahçe in May 2024, and they have won their last nine meetings with Göztepe. According to Sports Mole, Göztepe have not won at RAMS Park since 1972, a run of 15 defeats and two draws. The same outlet's data model makes Galatasaray clear favourites, giving them a 59.09% win probability compared with 23.65% for a draw and 17.28% for a Göztepe win, with 1-0 to Galatasaray the single most likely scoreline.

Lineups and comments

Galatasaray are expected to field an almost unchanged side, with Uğurcan Çakır in goal and Victor Osimhen — who has scored three goals in two league games — leading the attack. Goalkeeper Günay Güvenç is their only listed absentee, due to a muscle injury. Göztepe will be without the injured Noah Sonko Sundberg, while Allan Godoi is a doubt. Ahead of the game, Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk said the team wants to reclaim top spot and plans to keep midfield numbers high since Göztepe often attack from long balls. He also acknowledged that recent transfer activity, including new arrivals Aleksei Batrakov and Rafael Leão, had briefly created a negative atmosphere within the squad, which he said has since eased. Notably, Kahta Haber Postası refers to Fatih Terim as Galatasaray's head coach in its report, which conflicts with the identification of Okan Buruk as manager by both Ajansspor and Sports Mole — likely an error in that source. Fans have been sharing their anticipation on social media under the hashtag #GSvGÖZ, according to Kahta Haber Postası.