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Galatasaray will host Union Saint-Gilloise (Union SG) on Tuesday night in the fifth week of the UEFA Champions League group stage, aiming to secure a fourth consecutive win in the competition for the first time in the club’s history, despite being without its Nigerian star Victor Osimhen due to injury.
The match will kick off at 20:45 local time at RAMS Park in Istanbul, with Spanish referee Jose Maria Sanchez officiating.
After a rough start in the new 36-team league-style format, where they lost 5–1 away to Germany’s Eintracht Frankfurt, Galatasaray rebounded with three straight victories.
The Turkish side defeated Liverpool 1–0, Bodo/Glimt 3–1, and most recently Ajax 3–0 on the road. These results lifted Galatasaray to ninth place in the standings with 9 points from four matches.
If Galatasaray wins on Tuesday, it will mark the first time the team has ever claimed four straight victories in a Champions League group or league stage. The last time the club notched three successive wins in this competition was 13 years ago.
Union SG is participating in the UEFA Champions League for the first time, having earned direct entry to the league phase by winning the Belgian First Division for the first time in 90 years last season.
Despite an opening 3–1 away win against Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, Union SG has since suffered three consecutive defeats.
The Belgian side lost 4–0 at home to Newcastle United and Inter Milan and fell 3–1 away to Atletico Madrid. With just 3 points, Union SG currently ranks 28th in the league table.
Union SG has also struggled in broader European competition, having lost five of its last seven matches in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League. Notably, their only two wins in that span came away from home.
Galatasaray remains unbeaten in its last 33 official home games across all competitions, dating back to a 1–0 loss to Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League play-off round last season. During this run, they have recorded 24 wins and 9 draws across the Super Lig, Turkish Cup, Europa League, and Champions League.
Several Galatasaray players are unavailable due to injury or suspension, with Victor Osimhen, Yunus Akgun, Kaan Ayhan, Berkan Kutlu, and Wilfried Singo all expected to miss the match, while Mario Lemina remains doubtful pending a final assessment.
Eren Elmali and Metehan Baltaci are suspended due to a betting probe, and Kazimcan Karatas is not listed in the UEFA squad.
Ismail Jakobs, meanwhile, is one yellow card away from suspension and could miss the following match against Monaco if booked.
Union SG, for their part, has defensive weaknesses. They have conceded 12 goals in four matches, the second-highest in the competition behind Ajax. However, they come off a 2–0 win over Cercle Brugge in the Belgian league and currently lead their domestic table with 36 points after 15 weeks.
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