The starting lineups for the AZ Alkmaar-Galatasaray match have been announced.

Galatasaray will be the guest of the Dutch representative AZ Alkmaar in the 5th week of the UEFA Europa League. The match will start at 20:45 Turkish time at AFAS Stadium, and it will be officiated by referee Horatiu Fesnic from the Romanian Football Federation. The match will be broadcast live on TRT 1.

THE STATUS OF THE TWO TEAMS

The yellow-reds, who continue their journey in the UEFA Europa League unbeaten, have achieved 3 victories and 1 draw in the 4 matches they played in "Cup 2". Galatasaray entered the 5th week in 3rd place with 10 points on goal difference. AZ Alkmaar, on the other hand, is in 17th place in the UEFA Europa League with 6 points. The Dutch representative, who defeated Fenerbahçe 3-1 in the UEFA Europa League this season, has experienced 2 victories and 2 defeats in the organization.

STARTING 11s

AZ Alkmaar (possible) Zoet, Maikuma, Goes, Penetra, Wolfe, Koopmeiners, Kwakman, Mijnans, Meerdink, Smit, Parrot.

Galatasaray: Muslera, Davinson, Nelsson, Abdülkerim, Barış Alper, Torreira, Sara, Yunus, Mertens, Batshuayi, Osimhen.

YUNUS IS NOT MISSING

Galatasaray's young player Yunus Akgün has scored in all 4 matches he played in the UEFA Europa League this season. The national player, who draws attention with his performance on the wing, has found the net twice in the Trendyol Super League this season. Yunus, who scored one goal each against PAOK, RFS, Elfsborg, and Tottenham in the UEFA Europa League, has reached a total of 6 goals this season.

UNDEFEATED FOR 14 MATCHES

Galatasaray has not seen defeat in its last 14 official matches across all competitions. The yellow-red team, which last lost 1-0 to the Swiss representative Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League playoff round, has since played 4 UEFA Europa League and 10 Super League matches. "Cimbom" drew in 2 of these matches and won 12.

BURUK WANTS TO IMPROVE HIS RECORD

Okan Buruk, the Turkish coach with the most victories in the tournament held under the name UEFA Europa League since 2009, will try to improve this record. The experienced coach recently achieved his 9th victory in the UEFA Europa League by defeating Tottenham. Buruk aims to increase his number of victories in the UEFA Europa League to 10 by winning against AZ Alkmaar.

HOW IS AZ ALKMAAR DOING?

AZ Alkmaar is currently in 6th place in the Dutch 1st Football League (Eredivisie) before the 14th week. Finishing the league in 4th place last season, AZ Alkmaar has collected 20 points this season with 6 victories, 2 draws, and 5 defeats in 13 matches in the Dutch 1st Football League. AZ Alkmaar has scored 25 goals in the league while conceding 15.

THE YOUNGEST SQUAD IN THE EUROPEAN LEAGUE

AZ Alkmaar has the youngest team in the UEFA Europa League. The Dutch team has given chances to many young players such as Jayden Addai, Wouter Goes, and Peer Koopmeiners, who have come up from their youth academy, reducing the average age of the team to 23.7 and having the youngest squad in the UEFA Europa League. Following AZ Alkmaar in the organization are Eintracht Frankfurt from Germany and Midtjylland from Denmark, with average ages of 24.7.

323rd MATCH IN EUROPE

Galatasaray will play its 323rd match in European cups. The yellow-red team has won 116 of the 322 matches in European competitions, lost to their opponents in 121 matches, and finished 85 matches in a draw. The yellow-reds have found the net 441 times in European competitions while conceding 484 goals.

MORE VICTORIES IN THE EUROPEAN LEAGUE

"Cimbom" is drawing attention with its great successes in the second most important football tournament at the club level in Europe this season. The yellow-red team, which lifted the UEFA Cup in the 1999-2000 season, has experienced 40 victories, 32 draws, and 26 defeats in the 98 matches it played in "Cup 2". In these matches, Galatasaray scored 158 goals while conceding 127 goals.

UNDEFEATED IN 16 OF 18 MATCHES

Galatasaray has not lost in 16 of its last 18 matches in the UEFA Europa League. The yellow-red team has played 18 matches in "Cup 2" since the 2021-22 season began. Galatasaray won 9 of these matches and drew 7. "Cimbom" lost 2-1 at home to Spanish giant Barcelona and also lost 4-1 away to Czech representative Sparta Prague.

FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH AZ ALKMAAR

Galatasaray and AZ Alkmaar will face each other for the first time in official competitions. The yellow-red team, which has played the most matches in Europe among Turkish teams, has matched up with AZ Alkmaar for the first time. AZ Alkmaar will be the second Dutch representative that Galatasaray will compete against. AZ Alkmaar has faced Turkish teams a total of 7 times. The Dutch team has achieved 4 victories and 3 draws in the 7 matches it played against Başakşehir, Fenerbahçe, and Kayserispor, without losing any.