Real Madrid vs Galatasaray 07/11/19

7 November 2019

After kicking start their UEFA Champions League (CL) campaign with a 1-0 triumph over Galatasaray, Real Madrid will be looking to post their first CL home triumph this term when the two sides lock horns again at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Although they’ve clinched a narrow away win over Galatasaray in the reversed fixture, Los Blancos have struggled to live up to expectations in the other two European matches this term (D1, L1). After a 3-0 thumping to PSG in the Group A opener, the La Liga heavyweights played out a dismal 2-2 draw with Club Brugge at home, extending their winless CL run at the Bernabeu to three games (D1, L2). In fact, Los Merengues have shipped precisely two first-half goals in each of those home failures, failing to hit back before the halftime whistle. Zinedine Zidane’s men come into this meeting after a disappointing goalless home draw with Betis last weekend, which saw them keep a clean sheet in a third successive competitive outing for the second time this season.

On the other hand, the visitors sit bottom of the group (D1, L2) as the only team in Europe’s top-tier competition that is yet to find the back of the net. Although the Lions managed to put an end to a frustrating five-game losing away run in the Champions League with a goalless away draw with Club Brugge, they have now drawn a blank in six consecutive CL trips. What’s more, Fatih Terim’s players have failed to score in six of their previous nine competitive outings, home and away. Galatasaray’s enormous problems away from home in Europe are unlikely to end, as they’ve suffered four defeats in their last five trips to Spain (D1), winning just one of 15 away matches against the Spanish clubs overall (D4, L10).