Juventus travel to Istanbul to face Galatasaray at Rams Park for the opening leg of the 2026 Champions League knockout playoffs. Their primary goal is to secure a positive aggregate position before returning to the Allianz Stadium next week to decide the series.
However, Juventus enter the matchup facing significant challenges, having struggled with form recently. Luciano Spalletti’s squad arrives in Turkey having secured just one victory in its last five outings across all competitions. A scoreless draw against Monaco in the final matchday of the league phase saw Juventus finish in 13th place, forcing them into this playoff round.
In contrast, Galatasaray are riding a four-game winning streak and will look to use the hostile atmosphere of Rams Park to their advantage after finishing 20th in the league phase.
What happens if Juventus win vs Galatasaray?
A victory at Rams Park would give Juventus a vital cushion heading into the second leg on Wednesday, February 25. Winning by any margin means they would only need a draw at home to advance to the Round of 16.
What happens if Juventus and Galatasaray tie?
A draw leaves the series completely level, because away goals do not serve as a tiebreaker. Any scoreline means the winner will be decided solely by the result in Italy. If the second leg also ends in a draw, the tie will proceed to extra time and potentially a penalty shootout.
What happens if Juventus lose vs Galatasaray?
A defeat would put Juventus in a comeback position. They would need to win the return leg by a greater margin to advance, because if they win the second leg by the exact same margin, the match will go to overtime.