Eintracht Frankfurt vs Galatasaray Prediction: Poor travellers to come up short again

Eintracht Frankfurt and Galatasaray finished fifth and 14th, respectively, in the league phase of last season's Uefa Europa League, with the Germans progressing to the quarter-finals, while the Turks were knocked out two stages before, in a play-off tie.

This season, though, both teams are in the league phase of the Uefa Champions League, and they meet each other on Thursday (20:00 BST, TNT Sports 5) at Deutsche Bank Park. Below are my Eintracht Frankfurt vs Galatasaray predictions, alongside all the essential team news and match odds.

Team News

Rasmus Kristensen, who lasted just 10 minutes of last Friday's 3-1 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen before coming off with a thigh injury, has been ruled out for Eintracht. Nathaniel Brown replaced the Dane at the BayArena and looks likely to replace him in the starting XI on Thursday.

Mario Gotze is also doubtful after missing his side's last two matches with a thigh problem.

However, Hugo Larsson, who was absent last Friday due to illness, could return.

Ansgar Knauff, Michy Batshuayi, Ellyes Skhiri and Elye Wahi are among those eyeing promotions from the bench.

Football Odds

Last season's leading marksman Victor Osimhen, who joined Galatasaray permanently during the summer, missed Saturday's 2-0 win at Eyupspor with an ankle injury and has been ruled out of Thursday's trip to Germany.

Mauro Icardi made his first start since tearing his ACL in November on Saturday, opening the scoring and lasting until the 86th minute; with Osimhen still sidelined, the Argentine could start back-to-back matches, although his boss, Okan Buruk, may err on the side of caution and deploy Baris Alper Yilmaz as his centre-forward instead.

New goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir - who arrived late in the transfer window from Trabzonspor - made his debut on Saturday and looks set for his Gala European bow.

Former Manchester City pair Ilkay Gundogan and Leroy Sane, with 82 and 70 Germany caps, respectively, could also start in Frankfurt.

Today's Football Fixtures

Eintracht Frankfurt vs Galatasaray Odds

Eintracht won four of their six UEL home games last season (D1, L1), only losing in Frankfurt to eventual champions Tottenham Hotspur (0-1) in the second leg of their quarter-final tie.

The Bundesliga side are 11/10 to kick off their UCL campaign with all three points on Thursday, implying a 47.6% probability of success, while Galatasaray, who didn't claim a single victory on their European travels last season (D3, L3), are 23/10, or a 30.3% chance, to pick up three points in Germany.

The draw is priced at 3/1, both teams to score at 4/9, and over 2.5 total goals at 8/15.

Match Result & Both Teams to Score - Eintracht Frankfurt & Yes @ 11/5

Everything is pointing towards an entertaining encounter in Frankfurt this Thursday.

Eintracht's UEL league phase games last season averaged three goals (14 scored, 10 conceded), while Gala's averaged 4.4 (19 scored, 16 conceded).

Both teams scored in half (four) of the Bundesliga club's matches, and all of the Super Lig side's; BTTS-Yes then landed in all four of Gala's knockout games, and three of Eintracht's four.

While Gala have won their first five league contests this term, keeping a clean sheet in all but one, they have yet to be truly tested, as they haven't faced any of last season's top five teams.

Eintracht, meanwhile, have scored and conceded in all three Bundesliga outings, beating Werder Bremen (H) 4-1 and Hoffenheim (A) 3-1 before falling to a 3-1 defeat at Leverkusen last Friday.

So, we should expect goals in Thursday's showdown, but ultimately, I expect the hosts to come out on top.

Gala were poor travellers in Europe last season, losing 3-2 at Swiss side Young Boys in a Champions League play-off tie before failing to win any of their five away matches in the Europa League, losing the final two in the Netherlands to Ajax (2-1) and AZ Alkmaar (4-1).

Eintracht won three of their four UEL league phase home games, with only Viktoria Plzen (3-3) able to take points off Die Adler, and you can bet Dino Toppmoller's charges will be desperate to make amends for last week's loss in Leverkusen.

Gala, missing their main man Osimhen, are likely to fall to another defeat away from home in Europe.

Player to Receive a Card - Eren Elmali (GAL) @ 3/1

Gala left-back Eren Elmali has been a revelation in this season's Super Lig, netting three times in five appearances, after scoring just one league goal in his five previous seasons in professional football.

The 25-year-old had previously been more known as a tough-tackling defender who often overstepped the mark, as highlighted by his Super Lig yellow card tally. In two full seasons with previous club Trabzonspor, Elmali was cautioned 17 times in the Turkish top flight (eight in 2022/23, nine in 2023/24).

Elmali spent the first half of last season at Trabzonspor, picking up four yellows in 18 Super Lig appearances, before moving in February to Gala, where he was cautioned a further two times in the league, taking his 2024/25 total to six.

On Thursday, the Turkey international is likely to be tasked with containing the talents of Eintracht's Japanese right-winger, Ritsu Doan, who was fouled, on average, 1.6 times per game in last season's Bundesliga for previous side Freiburg. The 27-year-old has been fouled three times in as many league games this term, while he was upended on three occasions in his side's 5-0 thrashing of FV Engers in the DFB-Pokal first round.

I'm expecting a closely-fought battle between Elmali and Doan down that side of the pitch, but I think, at some point in the game, the former could be forced to take alternative action to deal with his opponent's threat. A card for the visiting full-back looks tempting at 3/1.

Offers

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down

Opt in and place an In-Play single bet of £10 or more at odds of 1/2+ on any Champions League match on Tuesday or Wednesday and get £5 in Free Bets to use In-Play on Thursday’s Champions League matches.

Opt in and build your own Bet Builder (3/1+) of 3+ legs on any Champions League game on Wednesday and get 100% of your stake back in Free Bets up to £10 if you lose. (Credited within 24 hours)