Galatasaray vs Barcelona Preview: Spanish Giants Face Stern Test in Blockbuster Europa League Cracker

• Galatasaray vs Barcelona will see both sides battle for a spot in this Europa League quarterfinal
• The first leg in Camp Nou ended goalless, meaning the Spanish side have a lot of work to do if they hope to progress in the competition
• Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang is expected to lead the attack for the Catalan giants as Xavi chases his first title as manager of Barcelona

Barcelona will look forward to a Europa League quarterfinal spot when they take on Galatasaray in the second-leg of their fixture, Sports Mole reports.

The Spanish giants failed to find the back of the net in the first leg at Camp Nou, but will hope to turn things around when they meet on Thursday night in Turkey.

Barcelona will approach this game from a 4-0 La Liga win over Osasuna while Galatasaray, on the other hand, managed a 2-1 win over Besiktas in the league.

Panic as 4 Man United Stars Absent from Squad Hours Before Manchester Derby

Football

Having learnt successfully under Pep Guardiola at Barcelona, Galatasaray manager Domenec Torrent returns to Camp Nou where there is all to play for.

Team News

Ryan Babel, who picked up a knock during the first leg, is doubtful for this encounter as he was on the bench during their game against Besiktas.

Arda Turan could also miss out on a reunion with his former club due to injury, while Kaan Arslan, Halil Dervisoglu, Ismail Cipe, Baris Yilmaz and Alpaslan Ozturk were not involved at the weekend either.

Barcelona, on the other hand, will likely have the services of Gerard Pique, who was substituted off during their La Liga clash against Osasuna.

Ansu Fati, Sergi Roberto, Alejandro Balde and Samuel Umititi remain on the sidelines due to injuries.

Pique has made the squad for this contest but could very well be spared for the meeting with Real Madrid, while Gavi is back from a European ban and Nico Gonzalez has served his domestic suspension.

DStv Diski Challenge wrap: Orlando Pirates continues to flounder as Stellenbosch Football Club pounces

Football

Possible starting line ups

Pena; Boey, Marcao, Nelsson, Van Aanholt; Antalyali, Kutlu; Kilinc, Feghouli, Akturkoglu; Mohamed

Barcelona:

Ter Stegen; Dest, Araujo, Garcia, Alba; Pedri, Busquets, De Jong; Traore, Aubameyang, Torres

Xavi sings praises of Aubameyang

Sports Brief earlier reported that Barcelona boss Xavi has described Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as a “gift that dropped from the sky” after the Gabon International scored again in the 4-0 rout against Osasuna on Sunday.

Aubameyang was on target with his side’s third goal in the first half after Ferran Torres scored twice for his side earlier on.

Riqui Puig then came off the bench to also get his name on the scoresheet as Barcelona cut the gap on second-placed Sevilla to 5 points with a game in hand.