Galatasaray enter Friday night’s tie needing to rediscover the authority that carried them to the top of the Turkish Süper Lig, as Samsunspor arrive in Istanbul riding one of the longest unbeaten streaks in the league.
It is a meeting layered with history, form streaks and momentum shifts, all landing at a pivotal early-winter juncture.
The Lions were seconds away from pulling four points clear on Monday until Fenerbahçe’s Jhon Duran stunned the champions in the 95th minute, cancelling a crisp first-half strike from Leroy Sane.
The late blow kept Galatasaray in first place but exposed the fragility of a team still shaking off the fluid, ruthless rhythm that defined their blistering start to the campaign.
Okan Buruk’s side opened the season with nine wins in their first ten matches, scoring freely and defending with precision.
But their last four league games tell a different story: just one win, two draws and a loss, along with an unexpected drought in the final third.
Cimbom have scored more than once in just one of their last four outings and failed to score at all in two of them – a concerning dip for a squad built on forward firepower.
A major reason has been the prolonged absence of Victor Osimhen, whose explosive runs had been central to their early-season identity.
The Nigerian returned against Fenerbahçe after weeks on the treatment table, offering flashes of his old menace but still short of peak sharpness.
His impact will be closely watched, especially as he sits on the yellow-card threshold alongside Lucas Torreira.
Still, the numbers underline Galatasaray’s strength.
They boast the league’s best goal difference (+20), are tied for second in both goals scored (29) and fewest conceded (9), and have kept six clean sheets.
RAMS Park, meanwhile, has returned to fortress status.
Cimbom have not lost a home league match since May 2024, racking up 20 wins and five draws in their last 25 Süper Lig fixtures in Istanbul.
The historical matchup heavily tilts their way too.
Friday marks the 65th league meeting between the clubs, with Galatasaray recording 43 wins to Samsunspor’s seven.
The Red Lightning have not beaten Galatasaray since February 2005, a staggering 20-year stretch punctuated by eight straight losses. Last season’s encounters ended 3-2 and 2-0 for the champions.
Yet this particular Samsunspor side may be better equipped to disrupt that pattern than any of its recent predecessors.
Thomas Reis has engineered one of the most balanced and resilient units in the league.
Samsunspor arrive unbeaten in their last 14 matches across all competitions and undefeated in their last 10 league games.
Their run has been built not on attacking explosions but on consistency, structure and an ability to frustrate the league’s giants.
They have already taken points off Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe and Trabzonspor, turning themselves into the season’s most persistent thorn in the side of the title contenders.
But their momentum has slowed with three consecutive draws, including a deflating 1-1 against Alanyaspor in which they conceded deep into stoppage time.
The question now is whether their impressive composure can survive the intensity at RAMS Park, where Galatasaray have scored a league-high 16 home goals.
The challenge is amplified by absences: Afonso Sousa remains sidelined, Celil Yüksel is out due to the ongoing betting investigation, and the status of Tanguy Coulibaly remains uncertain pending match-day assessment.
Long-term injuries have also thinned the squad, though Olivier Ntcham and Lubomir Satka are expected to return after extended layoffs.
Samsunspor’s league standing – fifth with 25 points – is both impressive and precarious. A win could push them into the top four; a loss might drop them to sixth by the end of the weekend.
Galatasaray’s availability picture is mixed as well.
Wilfried Singo and Ismail Jakobs remain unavailable through injury, while Eren Elmalı and Metehan Baltacı continue to serve bans stemming from the same betting inquiry that has shaken several clubs.
Roland Sallai, suspended two matches after a red card in the Gençlerbirliği match, returns to the squad and offers an important attacking option.
Offensively, Galatasaray continue to lean on Mauro Icardi, whose seven league goals lead the squad. Barış Alper Yılmaz and Leroy Sane have chipped in four each, Osimhen and Elmalı three apiece, while İlkay Gündoğan and Yunus Akgün have both contributed key moments.
Their depth in forward areas remains strong – but their fluidity and tempo, once their defining traits, have shown moments of hesitation in recent weeks.
