Galatasaray return to action in the UEFA Europa League when they visit the Daugava Stadium to face Rigas FS on Thursday. Both sides picked up contrasting results in last week's opening round, with the Turkish Super Lig outfit claiming a comfortable victory over PAOK.
Rigas FS returned to winning ways on Monday when they edged out Jelgava 2-0 in their Latvian top-flight clash at the Zemgales Olimpiskā centra. This followed a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Romanian side FCSB in their Europa League curtain-raiser at the National Arena last Thursday.
After two consecutive games on the road, Rigas now return home, where they are on a blistering run of seven straight wins across all competitions, stretching back to a 3-1 loss against Bodo/Glimt on July 31.
Galatasaray, on the other hand, were left disappointed last Saturday as they played out a 3-3 draw with Kasimpasa in the Super Lig after giving up a three-goal lead on home turf.
Before that, Okan Buruk’s men were on a run of five back-to-back wins in all competitions, scoring an impressive 19 goals and conceding four since a 1-0 loss to Young Boys on August 27.
Galatasaray will be looking to return to winning ways in the Europe League, where they kicked off the 2024-25 campaign with a 3-1 home victory over PAOK last Wednesday.
Rigas FS vs Galatasaray Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the first-ever meeting between Rigas and Galatasaray, who will both be looking to begin their head-to-head record on a positive note.
- Rigas are unbeaten in 13 of their last 14 games across all competitions, claiming 12 wins and one draw since late July.
- Galatasaray have won all but one of their last 10 competitive away matches, with a 3-2 defeat against Young Boys on August 21 being the exception.
- Rigas are on a run of seven consecutive home wins across all competitions, scoring 25 goals and conceding four goals since the start of August.
Rigas FS vs Galatasaray Prediction
While Rigas have put together a fine run of form in recent weeks, they are in for a tough 90 minutes against a well-drilled Galatasaray side who will be looking to bounce back from their draw against Kasimpasa.
Given the gulf in class and quality between the two teams, we predict Buruk’s men will come away with all three points.
Prediction: Rigas FS 1-3 Galatasaray
Rigas FS vs Galatasaray Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Galatasaray to win
Tip 2: Over 2.5 goals - Yes (There have been three or more goals scored in Galatasaray’s last six games)
Tip 3: Both sides to score - Yes (Both sides have also scored in five of the visitors’ last six outings)