The Champions League qualifiers have reached a pivotal stage as the return legs of the playoff round will be played this week. In Istanbul, Galatasaray meets Molde, looking to finish off the Norwegian champion after earning a hard-fought 3-2 victory in the first leg.
Bookmaker William Hill offers odds at 3.40 for another high-scoring Galatasaray win in a match where both teams score. The odds are at 8.00 for both teams to score and Molde to shock the hosts with a victory.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: August 28th, 9:00 A.M. (EST)
Ironically, it was Galatsaray’s Norwegian midfielder Fredrik Midtsjo who produced a stoppage-time winner last week. The Turkish giant couldn’t hold on to a 2-1 lead, and Molde also blew a lead in the contest after Martin Ellingsen scored already in the eighth minute.
Molde outshot Galatasaray 22-6 in the game and will have definitely been very frustrated by conceding a late winner. They will look to correct their mistakes on Tuesday, with manager Erling Moe likely wanting to see a much better defensive effort from his team.
After conceding two goals in the first leg, Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk probably isn’t happy with the performance at the back either, but he has some outstanding attacking quality in the squad and can always hope to see a winning goal even if things aren’t clicking as well as they should on the defensive end.
Mauro Icardi is leading the charge for Galatasaray up front, scoring in three consecutive contests. Dating back to last season, the Argentine star has even produced 18 goals in his past 15 Galatasaray appearances. After being cast aside by PSG, he would no doubt love to shine on the Champions League stage and show that he could still do a job for a top club.
Stopping Icardi will be one of the keys to success for Molde on Tuesday as Moe’s side tries to become only the second visiting team to beat Galatasaray at their place since the start of last season. The atmosphere at Ali Sami Yen Stadium can be very intimidating for the away sides, and the high stakes will only add electricity on Tuesday night.
A winning performance would be very special for the Norwegians in Istanbul. Molde has been a regular on the European stage, having played close to 130 games in UEFA competitions, but the team has always struggled to produce the goods on the road. In 16 away outings in the Champions League, Molde has recorded only two wins.
