Turkish Super Lig: Galatasaray vs. Besiktas Preview, Odds and Prediction

The big derby of Turkish football is the central event in European soccer this weekend. After all the cancellations due to COVID-19, just a few leagues left, and among them is the Super Lig. Two of the most recent champions of this competition meet in a massive derby – Galatasaray vs. Besiktas.

Galatasaray (+100) is currently third in the standings with three points fewer than Trabzonspor and Basaksehir, who top the league with 52 points. They are in excellent shape, with only one loss over the recent 15 matches. During that time Fatih Terim’s guys had just two draws along with 12 wins. One of them was over their biggest rivals, Fenerbahce, on the road, 1-3. It was a spectacular performance of the guests who came back from behind, after conceding a goal from the penalty. Yet, that didn’t stop them in making a furious finish of the game, during which this side showed class. When playing at Turk Telekom Stadium, Galata has seven consecutive wins, and they 20 goals during that stretch. Only one ended with Terim’s boys netting fewer than two times.

Besiktas (+260) won two campaigns in a row before Galata snapped their victorious row, and had their back to back titles. The Black and White Eagles are inconsistent, and they missed a lot of chances to close down the gap between them and the first-placed teams. Right now, Besiktas has 43 points, but with the not that at one period of the season, they had a stretch during which they posted one win, one draw and seven defeats in nine games. That was, of course, throughout all the competitions, but it affected a lot. This crew plays attractive and open football, with lots of goals and chances on both sides. It is a philosophy Besiktas prefers over the past few years, and we might say that they have the most appealing style of play in the Turkish league. Just two of the latest 13 matches haven’t seen over 2.5 goals, and during that time, three weren’t with both teams to score.

For the hosts, Christan Luyindama is out for the season, after hurting his cruciate ligaments. Adem Buyuk is questionable due to his back issues.

Douglas is not available for Besiktas, while Dorukhan Tokoz is long gone from the lineup and will remain out until the end of the month.

Head to head games

This is an old rivalry. The first match took place in 1924, to be precise on 22nd August. Besiktas won 2-0. Since then, 347 more meetings happened, and the Lions have a better record. They won 122 times, 114 matches ended with a draw, while Black and White Eagles have 112 triumphs. Besiktas won the first fixture of the season with 1-0, but the last two contests at Turk Telekom were solved in hosts’ favor 2-0.

Prediction

We believe that this match will be very efficient. Both teams know how to score. Galata has Radamel Falcao, while Besiktas plays with Kevin-Prince Boateng and Burak Yilmaz. From what we saw in their stats, and the overall performances, this game should end with high efficiency, that is with at least three goals. Odds on that to happen are -134. Both teams to score and Over 2.5 goals are +105 which is even better, and that is our final suggestion for this big derby.

Pick: BTTS & Over 2.5 Goals +105