Galatasaray vs Tottenham Hotspur

Rams Park sets the stage for a handsomely-looking UEFA Europa League showdown between Galatasaray and Tottenham Hotspur.

Galatasaray avenged a thumping 5-0 Turkish Super Cup defeat last weekend, beating Besiktas 2-1 at home to extend their lead at the top of the Super Lig standings amid a near-perfect league start (W9, D1). Equally impressive in Europe, they’ve only dropped points once in the Europa League thus far (W2, D1), most recently squeezing past Elfsborg 4-3 on this ground in round three. Okan Buruk’s men are firing on all cylinders, netting a competition-joint high nine goals. They’ll likely need another free-scoring showing to see off Tottenham in their first-ever meeting in a European competition, not least because of their underwhelming recent record against English clubs (W1, D2, L2).

In the meantime, Tottenham pulled off an eye-catching second-half comeback to beat Aston Villa 4-1 in the Premier League last weekend, building confidence after crashing Manchester City out of the EFL Cup. Ange Postecoglou’s men have excelled in the Europa League this season, entering round four as one of only three sides with a 100% record after the opening three matchdays (W3). However, their last two European wins have come by a single-goal margin, suggesting they cannot get too comfortable ahead of this trip. Adding to this sentiment, Spurs’ historic record against Turkish opposition remains perfectly balanced (W1, D1, L1), casting doubt on their bid to halt a two-game losing streak on the road.