Bucaspor and Galatasaray meet in the second leg of their Turkey Cup Round of 16 tie this week, with the visitors holding a 3-0 lead from the first leg. The home side have done fantastically well to have made this stage of the competition, with their main focus perhaps being on remaining in the third tier of Turkish football.
Turkey Cup – Bucaspor v Galatasaray – Buca Arena, Buca – Thursday 18th Janaury – 17:30 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 15/4 at Unibet |
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Bucaspor
GalatasarayMatch Preview
Galatasaray travel to Buca in order to take on Bucaspor in the Turkey Cup on Thursday evening, with the giants hoping to make it safely through to the quarter finals after dominating proceedings in the first leg between the duo. The Super Lig side take on the 2. Lig side for the second time in a matter of weeks, with the hosts heading into the clash more in hope than expectation. For those looking to place a bet on the encounter, be sure to check out our top tip below. However, let’s first take a closer look at the two teams, starting with the Turkish minnows.
Bucaspor Team News & Form
Bucaspor lost their final league meeting of 2017, leaving them just above the relegation zone in the 2. Lig standings. However, having beaten Super Lig side Sivasspor on away goals in the previous round of the Turkey Cup, the home side have already demonstrated that they are a difficult side to play against on their home turf. Their squad is made up by a host of domestic talent, including midfielder Mehmet Incebacak and Yasin Avci. Bucaspor have won just four matches in the league so far this season, conceding 26 goals in 17 matches.
Galatasaray Team News & Form
Galatasaray defeated Goztepe 3-1 in their final league encounter of 2017, leaving them second in the standings, just a single point behind leaders rivals Istanbul. Goals from Sinan Gumus and Selcuk Inan handed Galatasaray a 3-0 lead over Bucaspor from the first leg, with manager Fatih Terim now potentially having the advantage of resting some of his star names for this week’s clash. Former Swansea City man Bafetimbi Gomis has been the star man for the home side so far, however the Frenchman is unlikely to feature on the road. Elsewhere, midfielder Tolga Ciğerci has also been in fine form, scoring six Super Lig goals. Galatasaray are also the leading scorers in the Super Lig.
Head to Head
The two teams have met just four times in the past, with Galatasaray having won on all occasions to date. However, before their latest match, the duo had not met since back in 2011, where Galatasaray won 1-0 in front of their home fans.
Bucaspor v Galatasaray – Betting Odds and Predictions
Given their standing in Turkish football, it perhaps comes as little surprise that Galatasaray go into the match as the firm favourites for victory with the majority of bookmakers. The visitors can be backed at odds of 5/11 with Unibet, while those looking to bet on a home win for Bucaspor can take advantage of 5/1 odds from the William Hill.
Top Betting Tip Bucaspor v Galatasaray
However, our top betting tip for the match is to bet on there being under 2.5 goals during the 90 minutes in Bacu, which can be found at best odds of 27/20 with William Hill.