Galatasaray V Akhisarspor
Wednesday, 7th August 2019 – 19:30 Kick-Off
Turkish Super Cup
Pick: Galatasaray Win + Over 2.5 Goals
Odds: 17/20
Bookmaker: Coral
 |
1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27/100 | 43/10 | 37/4 |
* (All betting odds displayed were correct as of August 6th 2019 at 09:57)
Preview: In a repeat of the 2018 meeting, Galatasaray and Akhisarspor will face off in the Turkish Super Cup. It is Galatasaray who are strong favourites to lift the trophy for a 17th time, the club which sealed a league and cup double last season and who must surely be licking their lips at the prospect of facing a side relegated from the Turkish Super Lig last term.
Turkish Super Cup betting with 22Bet
Galatasaray Preview – League and Cup holders simply too good?
An opportunity to add to their burgeoning trophy collection for Turkey’s most successful club, as well as extending their record in this particular fixture with no team lifting the Super Cup on more occasions than Galatasaray (16). To add another trophy to their mega haul, a team nicknamed Aslanlar (The Lions) would need to overcome a problematic opponent in recent times.
Despite winning the majority of their encounters over the past couple of seasons, this has remained a banana skin fixture. Galatasaray recorded wins over Akhisarspor on their way to clinching a league and cup double last season, winning 1-0 in the league on home soil and prevailing 3-1 in the Turkish Cup final. However, Gala fell to one of their heavier losses of the entire campaign when losing 3-0 at Akhisarspor in the Turkish Super Lig.
During the 2017/18 campaign, meanwhile, manager Fatih Terim witnessed his side lose in both the Turkish Cup (losing 3-2 on aggregate) and Super Cup (suffering defeat on penalties after drawing 1-1 in normal time) to this very opponent. So it is highly unlikely that the favourites, which Galatasaray unquestionably are, will be taking this particular adversary lightly.
Galatasaray are clearly the superior side, though. They topped the league last season, amassing 42 more points than their matchday opponents – who were subsequently relegated from the division for finishing rock-bottom – all whilst scoring over twice as many goals and conceding on 18 fewer occasions.
Akhisarspor Preview – Another shock Super Cup triumph on the cards?
First and foremost, Akhisarspor deserve a huge amount of credit for participating in what will be their second successive Turkish Super Cup. This being their reward for back-to-back appearances in the Turkish Cup final, a feat achieved despite concluding the last campaign as the worst team in the Super Lig following their 18th place finish and subsequent demotion from the league. Surely a shock victory here is beyond them, then?
Success in this very fixture this time last year, holding their nerve to beat Galatasaray on penalties following a 1-1 draw in normal time, should mean they cannot be ruled out. Then again, there can be no disguising of the fact that this club finished at the bottom of the pile in Turkey’s top league last term, doing so with an inferior goal difference (-21) than everybody else and having shipped more goals (54 in 34 matches) than all sides except one.
Therefore, this feels a huge ask for the club nicknamed Akigo. The club also endured a difficult summer after the predictable exodus of several first-team members. It is also worth noting how poorly the team travelled during the previous season, as this is technically an away fixture despite the contest being held in a neutral location, in the capital city of Ankara.
In 2018/19 Akhisarspor managed to successfully avoid defeat on just five occasions away from home (W2 D3 L12, GF12 GA28), scoring more than one goal on only one occasion. The team did have a useful knack of locating the net though, only failing to score in 6/17 fixtures when on their travels.
Galatasaray V Akhisarspor Key Facts:
- Galatasaray are competing in this Super Cup due to capturing both the Turkish league and cup titles in 2018/19.
- Akhisarspor are participating in their second successive Super Cup but only because of a runners-up finish in last season’s Turkish Cup.
- Two of these side’s three meetings last season were won by Galatasaray, who prevailed 3-1 in the latest of those – in the Turkish Cup final.
Betting Summary
Being the reigning holders of both the Turkish Super Lig and Turkish Cup, Galatasaray are completely justified in being strong favourites here. Fatih Terim’s side should accurately portray that here, up against the poorest outfit in the Turkish topflight in 2018/19. They weren’t entirely convincing during pre-season, however: RB Leipzig (L3-2), Augsburg (L4-1), Bordeaux (W1-3) and Panathinaikos (W2-1).
Akhisarspor were in an entirely different moment when contesting this fixture twelve months ago. The team had secured a commendable mid-table finish but also clinched the Turkish Super Cup. Fast forward to now and the club are preparing for life back in the league below following relegation in last place. Their only pre-season encounter ended in defeat to Genclerbirligi (L3-2).
There is no escaping the lure of Galatasaray here. The dominant force in the country last season should add another Super Cup to the collection, versus meek opposition. If pre-season was any sort of indication, however, then this game could feature a few goals. Galatasaray winning with over 2.5 goals (17/20 Coral) and both teams to score (15/8 Bet365) are both viable options.
