Galatasaray travel to Amsterdam carrying both belief and burden – belief from their resurgence in Europe, burden from a decade-long failure to win on the road.
Their clash with Ajax on Wednesday night has become more than a mid-stage fixture; it is a defining test between a side rediscovering its European stride and another sinking deeper into crisis.
The Turkish champions are on the brink of history.
Not since Fatih Terim’s 2012-13 campaign have Galatasaray strung together three consecutive Champions League wins.
Back then, the Lions swept past CFR Cluj, Manchester United and Braga on their way to the quarterfinals.
Okan Buruk’s current squad, built on energy and efficiency rather than nostalgia, now stand one win away from matching that golden run.
Galatasaray’s European rise
It all began painfully, with a sobering 5-1 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt on opening night. Buruk’s men were outmuscled, outrun and punished.
But instead of collapsing, Galatasaray regrouped. A hard-fought 1-0 win over Liverpool in Istanbul restored both morale and credibility and the 3-1 triumph against Norway’s Bodo/Glimt turned recovery into momentum.
Those victories lifted the Lions to six points from three games, placing them 14th in the new 36-team league phase – within reach of the knockout cut-off.
It is a strong position for a side that began the competition under scrutiny, but their work is far from over. Buruk knows consistency away from home has long been Galatasaray’s Achilles heel.
Since their famous 3-2 win at Old Trafford in 2023, the club has gone 10 European away games without victory, collecting seven defeats and three draws.
Now, the Johan Cruyff Arena offers both risk and reward.
Win and Galatasaray not only end that drought but carve a direct path toward the round of 16. Lose and their promising start could unravel quickly in the tightly packed standings.
Osimhen factor
No figure embodies Galatasaray’s revival more than Victor Osimhen.
The Nigerian striker has become both symbol and spearhead of Buruk’s new-look attack.
His double against Bodo/Glimt pushed him to three goals in this season’s Champions League, but more importantly, it extended his streak to seven consecutive European matches with a goal – a new club record.
Nine goals in that run underline a player in peak form.
Osimhen’s mix of power, timing and relentlessness gives Galatasaray a dimension few Turkish sides have carried in Europe’s elite competition.
He is not just scoring; he is transforming the way the team operates. His pressing triggers their defensive shape, his pace stretches back lines and his finishing – calm yet ruthless – has redefined the club’s cutting edge.
Behind him, Buruk’s midfield of Lucas Torreira, Kerem Demirbay and Kerem Aktürkoğlu has begun to click, blending bite with creativity.
Torreira’s control in deep areas frees Aktürkoğlu to drift into spaces Osimhen opens.
The chemistry has been growing game by game and in Amsterdam, they will again be tested against an Ajax side desperate to regain structure.
Injuries and tactical outlook
Galatasaray’s squad, however, is not at full strength.
İlkay Gündoğan remains sidelined after suffering a knock before the Bodo/Glimt match, while winger Yunus Akgün faces a late fitness check due to lingering pain from the Trabzonspor match.
The return of Wilfried Singo from injury offers relief, especially given his pace down the right, which could be crucial in tracking Ajax’s wide threats.
Buruk is expected to keep his team compact, inviting Ajax forward before springing into transition through quick vertical passes. Galatasaray’s early-goal habit – scoring inside the opening 16 minutes in all three of their Champions League fixtures – suggests another fast start may be the plan.
They will aim to exploit Ajax’s nervous defending, particularly during the opening phases when the Dutch side have repeatedly been caught unbalanced.
Ajax’s unraveling
For Ajax, the story has been one of steady decline.
Once admired across Europe for their flowing football and production line of talent, the Dutch giants now look fragile, disjointed and haunted by their own legacy.
Three heavy defeats – 0-2 to Inter Milan, 0-4 at Marseille and 1-5 at Chelsea – have left them bottom of the entire league phase, level on zero points with Benfica but worse off on goal difference.
They have conceded 11 goals – the joint-worst record in the competition – and scored only once.
That defensive collapse is no anomaly; Ajax have lost six consecutive European games dating back to last season’s Europa League campaign, shipping 19 goals and scoring just four.
Domestic form offers little comfort.
A 1-1 draw with Heerenveen last weekend continued a run of only two wins in their last six matches in all competitions.
Manager Johnny Heitinga’s challenge has become psychological as much as tactical: restoring belief to a team that no longer seems to trust itself.
Suspension and injury woes compound the problem. Kenneth Taylor is suspended after his red card against Chelsea, while Steven Berghuis, Kasper Dolberg and Branco van den Boomen remain doubtful.
Ajax’s brightest light has been Wout Weghorst, the burly striker familiar to Turkish fans from his time at Beşiktaş.
He has six goals in the Eredivisie and one in Europe and will again lead the line, tasked with unsettling Galatasaray’s center-backs and offering an outlet in an otherwise fractured system.
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