Galatasaray can clinch 26th title against Antalyaspor — Galatasaray - Antalyaspor

Galatasaray - Antalyaspor arrived with a title edge and a kickoff set for 20.00 at RAMS Park. Galatasaray entered the 33rd week in first place with 74 points, and a win would secure its 26th league championship. Antalyaspor came in 15th with 29 points, one point above the relegation zone.

Okan Buruk set the tone before the match with a blunt line: “Oyuncularımla birlikte tarih yazacağız.” Galatasaray also carried a smaller margin for error than its table position suggested, with Fenerbahçe four points behind going into the last two weeks.

RAMS Park Lineups

Galatasaray’s starting XI was Uğurcan, Sallai, Davinson, Abdülkerim, Jakobs, İlkay, Torreira, Yunus, Sane, Barış Alper, and Osimhen. Antalyaspor lined up with Abdullah, Bünyamin, Giannetti, Hüseyin, Kenneth, Ceesay, Saric, Soner, Abdülkadir, Doğukan, and Ballet.

Çağdaş Altay was the referee, with Esat Sancaktar and Bilal Gölen as assistants and Özer Özden in the VAR booth. The lineups were announced at 19:14 on May 9, just before the match that could settle the title race.

Galatasaray’s Home Run

Galatasaray carried a 34-match home league unbeaten run into the game, with its last home defeat coming against Fenerbahçe on 19 May 2024. Since that loss, it had won 27 and drawn 7 in league play at home.

The matchup also leaned heavily toward Galatasaray on recent results. It beat Antalyaspor 4-1 in the first-half meeting in Antalya, and the team had not dropped points against Antalyaspor under Buruk.

Antalyaspor’s Escape Fight

Antalyaspor’s position made the visit different from a normal top-versus-midtable meeting. It arrived with 7 wins and 8 draws after 32 weeks, still only a point above the drop line, and had not won in its last 10 away matches.

For Galatasaray, the equation was simple: win and the 26th title is there, along with a fourth straight crown. For Antalyaspor, every point still mattered in a table where the gap to danger remained tight.