Alarm bells at Galatasaray ahead of Real Madrid UCL visit
The Istanbul giants languish in 11th position in the Turkish SuperLig ahead of their domestic clash against second placed side Sivasspor.
A casual look at the Turkish Superlig table makes for interesting reading as perennial giants such as Galatasaray, Besiktas and Fenerbahce (the traditional big three of the domestic game) are conspicuous by their absence.
Fenerbahce lie in fifth place, Besiktas have endured a wretched start to their campaign and are in twelfth place just two places behind current league champions Galatasaray.
On Friday "Cimbom" have an opportunity to claw back some space in the table as they face second placed Sivasspor at the Turk Telecom Arena. Fans are now anxious with the side offering poor displays and yet to win a game in a month of action with the visit of Real Madrid looming on the horizon adding to the anxiety amongst the fan-base.
Head coach Fatih Terim has been unable to maximise new big summer signing Falcao with the Colombian still suffering with an Achilles problem and will play no role in the Sivasspor game and is currently a doubt for the visit of Madrid.
Real Madrid and the Turkish side both have accrued a single point from their opening two games in Group A of the 2019-20 Champions League and any defeat in Istanbul would be a major set back in both club's aspirations of progressing in the competition.