Galatasaray vs Zalgiris Prediction & Match Preview

Steffen Schmidt - July 31, 2023

Galatasaray vs Zalgiris Vilnius
UEFA Champions League Qualification
Date: 2 August 2023, Wednesday
Kick-off at 19:30 UK / 20:30 CET
Venue: Rams Global Stadium (Istanbul).

Galatasaray have returned to European competitions for the first time since the 2021/22 season and the narrow elimination to Barcelona in the last 16 round of UEFA Europa League.

The return was not the brightest, though, as Turkish champions had to settle for a 2-2 stalemate against Zalgiris Vilnius in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round eight days ago on Lithuanian soil.

Okan Buruk’s men will be looking to fix the impression on Wednesday evening when they host the same rival in the second leg at Rams Global Stadium in Istanbul.

Galatasaray are massive favorites ahead of the game. They’ve additionally boosted the atmosphere in and around the club by signing the likes of Wilfried Zaha and Mauro Icardi in recent days.

The latter had an extraordinary campaign in Istanbul last season by only as a PSG loanee. Icardi is now a Galatasaray player and there are no doubts that this team possess quality for the group stage of the elite continental competition right now.

The same can’t be said for Zalgiris who have managed to reach the third qualifying round of the Champions League just once in their history.

It happened last season when they shocked Malmo in the second round and ended up playing the Conference League group where they came fourth in the competition of Slovan Bratislava, Basel, and Pyunik.

Galatasaray vs Zalgiris Vilnius Head-to-head

• This will only be the second head to head encounter between Galatasaray and Zalgiris.
• The Lithuanians earned a big 2-2 draw in the first leg eight days ago thanks to a late Donatas Kazlauskas’ equalizer in the second minute of stoppage time.
• Galatasaray missed plenty of chances on the occasion and we should say they were the better side on the pitch in the 90 minutes of play in Vilnius.

Galatasaray vs Zalgiris Vilnius Prediction

The difference in quality between these two teams is significant and we expect the Turkish side to confirm it on Wednesday, despite a 2-2 draw in the first leg.

The main pick is Galatasaray to win both halves at the 1.90 odds while we also like the hosts to win the first half by two or more goals difference at the 2.75 odds.

Galatasaray vs Zalgiris Vilnius Betting Tips

• Galatasaray to win both halves @ 1.90 (9/10)

• Galatasaray to win the first half in -1.5 Asian Handicap @ 2.75 (7/4) odd.

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