Galatasaray Players to Watch Against Tottenham Thursday

Today in Turkey, Tottenham will travel to face Galatasary in UEFA Europa League action.

Both teams will be looking to move up the table, but you might nor know some of the many stars that the Turkish side has in its squad.

Here is a look at some of them for Rant Sports.

1. Victor Osimhen

The Nigerian striker signing for Gala was a huge shock to the football world due to him being mainly linked to the likes of Chelsea, PSG and Arsenal. But in the end, the former Napoli striker went on loan to Galatasaray.

So far this season, in 5 Süper Lig games, he has 4 goals and 2 assists, but has yet to score in his 2 Europa League games whilst getting 2 assists.

However, Osimhen is a handful for any defence and can cause them a lot of problems. His powerful, pacy running in behind and running of the channels stretches the defence and he’s so efficient in the box as he’s able to get off so many shots. Osimhen’s aerial ability will be a particular concern for Tottenham as they’ve been so poor from set-piece. Starting centre-backs Romero and Van De Ven are both out injured. They’re both key to Tottenham being able to defend transitions when playing a high line. But with a deadly channel runner up against Ben Davies and Radu Drăgușin, he could have a lot of joy against Tottenham.

2. Dries Mertens

37-year-old former Napoli forward Dries Mertens has been an important player for Galatasaray since joining back in 2022 on a free transfer. In 100 games for Galatasaray he’s got a total of 50 goals and assists combined.

Mertens has loads of technical ability. Close control, a creative player who plays behind the striker, but when in the box or on the edge of the box, his instinctive finishing is a serious threat. He takes no time to set-up shots and release the ball because of hwo good his ball manipulation is.

Dries Mertens is excellent at escaping tight spaces and constantly provides Gala with moments of magic despite being at the latter stages of his career.

3. Mauro Icardi

Everywhere he has gone, Icardi has scored goals. At Sampdoria he had 30 goals in 39 games; at Inter Milan he got 124 goals and 29 assists in 219 games; at PSG he got 38 goals and 10 assists. But it’s at Galatasaray where he’s had his best goalscoring spell, with 61 goals and 22 assists in 86 games.

The Argentinian striker is the definition of a poacher – give him the ball and he’ll score. Icardi is so good at creating separation from his marker in the box to get off shots and be free in the box. It’s this movement which enables him to be a high shot volume player and get on the end of a lot of balls. When in front of goal, Icardi finishes with so much composure and confidence.

4. Gabriel Sara

A summer signing from Norwich City for €18m, Gabriel Sara has hit the ground running this season. The Brazilian midfielder has so much that you want from your #8. Tenacious off the ball; athletic, able to cover so much ground; outstanding ball-striking and ability to crash the box to finish cutbacks; killer final ball; deadly crossing ability; smart in tight spaces.

This season Gabriel Sara already has 5 assists and 2 goals in 9 Süper Lig games. His delivery into the box from a variety of positions and on set-pieces is a reliable threat. With a wand of a left foot, Sara is able to whip crosses in with so much pace and accuracy or even slip through balls in behind the defence. The combination of Sara and Osimhen will be a complimentary, successful duo.

5. Lucas Torreira

Former Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira is coming up against previous bitter rivals Tottenham for his new club Galatasaray. One of Torreira’s best performances for Arsenal was against Tottenham in a 4-2 victory where he scored the final goal to secure the win for Arsenal whilst running the midfield – winning tackles, being press resistant and creating chances.

For Galatasaray he’s been crucial in so many phases of play. His tenacity and aggression off the ball helps him to win the ball back off the opponent and from deep he’ll play smart passes to create chances for runners in behind. Torreira’s ability to pass through the lines enables Galatasaray to get through the middle third into the final third and play through to creators who are roaming around the pockets. With Tottenham having a lot of athleticism in their midfield, the duo of Torreira and Sara will be crucial.

6. Barış Alper Yılmaz

Barış Alper Yılmaz’s reputation skyrocketed during the Euros in the summer, leading the line for an impressive Türkiye side. The versatile powerhouse has played as a right-winger, left-winger, striker, right-wingback, right-back, left-back all this season. Despite this variety of positions, he still managed to score in 4 consecutive games at the start of the season when playing as a right-winger, even getting an assist across these games. It’s definitely in the more attacking positions where he’s best, but his pace, physicality, directness and technical ability are applicable to many other roles too.

Yılmaz is at his best when running the channels, down the line, or at the defence. He’s so strong and good at using his body to shield the ball. Such a powerful player can cause a lot of problems in high intensity games.

7. Davinson Sánchez

The former Tottenham man is about to face his former club for the first time since leaving for Gala in 2023 for €9.5m. Amongst Tottenham fans, Davinson Sánchez was widely regarded as a ‘flop’ signing after they signed him for €42m from Ajax coming with high expectations which he struggled to match.

However, since joining Galatasaray, Sánchez has been a crucial player at the heart of their defence starting the majority of games and even contributed to goals. Sánchez’s aerial dominance has enabled him to be a threat from set-pieces as he attacks the ball well. The pace and athleticism he has, enables Galatasaray to play a higher line; he has the recovery pace to catch quick attackers and anticipate/intercept passes in behind.