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Played
December 5, 2012 7:45 PM GMT
Estádio AXA — Braga
Referee:‬ N. Rizzoli‎
Attendance:‬ 8964‎
 

Braga - Galatasaray Preview: Terim's men look to seal qualification

The Turkish giants are one last push away from confirming their place in the knock-out phase of the Champions League and must see off their eliminated hosts to complete the job

By Alec Fenn

UCL: Galatasaray vs Manchester United - Burak Yılmaz ve Fatih Terim'in gol sevinci
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  PROBABLE LINEUPS
BRAGA
FC Lorient
Beto
Salino, Echiejile, Coelho, Ismaily

Micael, Custodio,
Viana
Alan, Eder, Amorim
GALATASARAY

Muslera
 Eboue, Semih, Nounkeu, Riera
 Hamit, Selcuk, Melo, Amrabat
Elmander, Burak

Were it not for Galatasaray's dismal away record in the Champions League then punters would be queuing up to tick an away win on their betting slips ahead of Wednesday night's game.

The Turkish giants need only to match Cluj's result against Manchester United to seal their place in the knockout phase of the competition, but just one away win in the competition in a decade - against the Romanian club on matchday four - leaves lingering doubts.

Their task should be made a little easier, however, with Braga already eliminated and likely rotate at least a few of their first choice players. Centre-back Douglao misses out through suspension, while the visitors' only notable absentee is defender Tomas Ujfalusi, who was left out of their Champions League squad as a result of a knee ligament injury.

  DID YOU KNOW?
  • Galatasaray striker Burak Yilmaz is the competition's joint top scorer with five goals. Only Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Braga striker Alan have as many.
  • Burak became only the second Turkish player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League with his treble on matchday 4. Tuncay Sanli was the first, with his treble against Manchester United back in 2004.
  • Fernando Muslera, Danny Nounkeu and Selcuk Inan have played every minute of Gala's Champions League campaign.
  • Felipe Melo (pictured, right) was sent off on Friday in Galatasaray's 1-1 draw with Gaziantepspor.
  • Braga lost 2-0 to Cluj on matchday one despite having 35 shots on goal - 23 of which were on target.
  • Seven Braga players - a club record - featured in Portugal's friendly against Gabon in November.
  • The Portuguese club have won just once against Turkish opposition at home - a 3-0 second-leg triumph over Sivasspor in the 2008 Intertoto Cup.


Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
Head to Head
UEFA Champions League ‎(UCL)‎ Dec 5, 2012 Sporting Braga 1 - Galatasaray 2
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UEFA Champions League ‎(UCL)‎ Oct 2, 2012 Galatasaray 0 - Sporting Braga 2
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Last Five Matches
Odds
Returns: Braga £5010.00 Bet365 Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Returns: Draw £130.00 Bet365 Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Returns: Galatasaray £26.00 PaddyPower Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets
Team News
Available Squads
1QuimGoalkeeper
4Nuno CoelhoDefender
20Uwa Elderson EchiejileDefender
-IsmailyDefender
26Paulo Vinícius de Souza NascimentoDefender
15Ruben AmorimMidfielder
8Marcio MossoroGoalkeeper
25Leandro SalinoMidfielder
27CustodioMidfielder
17ÉderStriker
30AlanStriker
-BetoGoalkeeper
15BaianoDefender
48Aníbal CapelaDefender
45Hugo VianaMidfielder
9Rocha Paulo CesarStriker
10Hélder BarbosaStriker
83CARLAOStriker
25F. MusleraGoalkeeper
13Dany NounkeuDefender
26Semih KayaDefender
27Emmanuel EboueDefender
4Hamit AltintopMidfielder
8Selçuk İnanMidfielder
10Felipe MeloMidfielder
11Albert RieraMidfielder
52Emre ÇolakMidfielder
9Johan ElmanderStriker
17Burak YılmazStriker
86Ufuk CeylanGoalkeeper
3CrisDefender
22Hakan BaltaDefender
7Aydın YılmazMidfielder
35Yekta KurtuluşMidfielder
19Umut BulutStriker
53Nordin AmrabatStriker
Players to Watch
Alan
Alan
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 30
Games Goals YC RC
8 5 1 0
The 33-year-old striker has been a revelation in front of goal and is the competition's joint top goalscorer alongside stellar names Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Galatasaray's Burak Yilmaz. With Braga already eliminated, he will want to end his European campaign on a high.
Burak Yılmaz
Burak Yılmaz
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 17
Games Goals YC RC
9 8 3 0
Three of the striker's five goals in the competition came in the victory over Cluj in Romania, an effort that highlighted his threat in front of goal. He will hope to be equally prolific on Wednesday night in a bid to shake off his side's travel sickness and seal Galatasaray's place in the knock-out phase.
Prediction
Galatasaray's away record in Europe is poor, and with no pressure on Braga to get a result they could cause the visitors a few problems. Nerves could play a part, but a draw and the same result between Manchester United and Cluj will be enough to see Fatih Terim's side through.
Editor's Prediction
Braga 1
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo
Striker
Real Madrid
12 0
Robert  Lewandowski Robert Lewandowski
Striker
Dortmund
10 1
Thomas Müller Thomas Müller
Striker
Bayern
8 1
Lionel Messi Lionel Messi
Striker
Barcelona
8 0
Burak Yılmaz Burak Yılmaz
Striker
Galatasaray
8 0