Key events
21 mins: After a moment of calm, the home fans are back up and running. I am not sure they can take credit for Maddison tripping over the ball and sending it out for a throw.
GOAL! Just as I point out Lankshear has been out of the game, Gray chips a wonderful pass over the defence to Johnson who volleys it back across goal for Lankshear to tap home. What a moment for him.
GOAL! Galatasaray 1-1 Tottenham (Lankshear, 19)
A wonderfully well-worked goal to make me look silly.
18 mins: Gala chuck in a couple of crosses but Bissouma just about clears on both occasions. I wonder if we will see Solanke at half-time to help Spurs get out quickly and give a more physical threat than Lankshear.
16 mins: Mertens gives Bissouma a cynical kick to stop a run and is booked for his troubles.
14 mins: Gray is very much at left-back, in case you were wondering.
Sara chases a ball over the top but Dragusin does well to ensure Spurs earn a goal-kick from the situation.
12 mins: Spurs really need to stop sending loose passes around their defensive third but Gala will capitalise on them soon enough.
Mertens is down and needs treatment so Muslera throws the ball out of play.
10 mins: Maddison does his best to drive through the defence but is stopped on the edge of the box. He thinks it is a foul by Sanchez but the referee disagrees.
I think this is going to be a very fun match …
8 mins: Spurs nearly gift the hosts a second when a backpass is short and Osimhen almost beats Forster to the ball but the goalkeeper slides in to clear. The striker thinks it is a penalty but the goalkeeper does get the ball.
GOAL! The resulting free-kick from the Maddison foul is whipped into the box and Spurs manage to clear it to the edge of the box where Yunus Akgun is waiting and pings a first-time shot into the top corner. The stadium erupts.
GOAL! Galatasaray 1-0 Tottenham (Yunus Akgun, 6)
WHAT A STRIKE!
4 mins: Spurs are pressing well as a team as they look to ensure the Gala defence do not have time to play out.
Reuven emails: “Loudest atmosphere, the Baseball Ground, Easter Monday 1992, Derby v Newcastle United.
“6000 Newcastle fans hell bent on supporting their side, facing imminent relegation to Div 3 in old money, backed the team to the hilt. Two red cards before half time and 2-0 down, we roared on the lads to come back to 2-1 with NINE MEN against promotion hopefuls. There were planned pitch invasions to get the game abandoned such was our peril, seats going onto the pitch (not clever) and unrelenting vocal support. “Newcastle United Will Never Be Defeated” (a nod to the Miner’s Strike in there) and “Newcastle Newcastle We’ll Support You EverMore” highlights.
“Derby fans who were there still mention it. We lost 4-1, had three men and Terry Mac sent off, and backed the team to the absolute hilt. It’s still to this day every NUFC fan of a certain age’s favourite away day despite the result and ‘better’ games.
”Shame football now is sanitised nonsense in England’s top flight.”
2 mins: The early thing to note is lots of noise, mainly whistling and booing.
Johnson plays Lankshear through, he takes too much time and Sanchez comes in to bloke. It does not matter as he is a yard offside.
Kick off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
The players are in the tunnel. Spurs seem to be wearing a light blue number while Gala are in traditional red and yellow.
Karen Asad says: “Gala’s front three sure can weave stuff of nightmares for Spurs tonight. It wasn’t long ago that Mertens bagged them for fun against the Europe’s elite … he still does.”
Nicholas Alvarez gets in touch to say: “Good luck for Spurs tonight. Loudest atmosphere was the Uefa cup final 1984 at White Hart Lane as the teams prepared for the extra time kick off … my hair was standing on end!”
Mustafa emails: “On the quality of Galatasaray’s squad, this picture has been doing the rounds of the interwebs and raising chuckles.”
Ange Postecoglou: “I am sure the 17 and 18 year olds want to play games at this level and I am sure they will enjoy tonight. It is about tonight for us, we’ve put a lineup out to get the job done. The guys who have come in have played a lot of football whether in the Europa or domestically.
“Galatasaray have massive threats, great individual players in the final third, their games are generally open and we need to try and control that.
“Will, being in and around the squad this year will mean he’s learned from everyone. He did well at Ferencvaros and hopefully he can do the same again.:
I am at Wolves v Southampton at the weekend, which I assume will be equally lively as RAMS Park tonight.
It is probably worth reading this from Ed Aarons on Victor Osimhen from a couple of months ago because everyone seems confused about how the striker ended up in Turkey.
Nick Ames is in Istanbul.
TNT very much making a point about the atmosphere. I will therefore ask the question … what’s the loudest atmosphere you’ve ever experienced?
Will Lankshear is the man playing down the middle for Spurs tonight. He spent time on the books of Arsenal as a kid, like a certain other former Spurs striker.
Should be lively.
I’ve been to RAMS Park on a couple of occasions. Once when Gala beat Istanbul Basaksehir to win the title and last year against Manchester United. It is the most ludicrous place I have ever had to work. Good luck to Nick Ames and friends tonight.
Some pre-match reading courtesy of Michael Butler.
It looks like Gray will be at left-back for Spurs as Postecoglou keep testing to see how many different positions the central midfielder can play.
Starting lineups
Galatasaray (3-4-1-2): Muslera; Kaan Ayhan, Sanchez, Bardakci; Yunus Akgun, Torreira, Sara, Yilmaz; Mertens; Osimhen, Icardi
Subs: Batuhan Sen, Guvenc, Demirbay, Berkan Kutlu, Ziyech, Jelert, Nelsson, Demir, Batshuayi, Ali Yesilyurt, Efe Akman, Metehan Baltaci
Tottenham (4-3-3): Forster; Pedro Porro, Dragusin, Davies, Gray; Bergvall, Bissouma, Maddison; Johnson, Lankshear, Son
Subs: Vicario, Austin, Udogie, Dorrington, Bentancur, Sarr, Kulusevski, Cassanova, Olusesi, Williams-Barnett, Solanke
Preamble
It is three wins in three for Ange Postecoglou in Europe but this trip to Istanbul is the trickiest of the tests thus far. Galatasaray have seven points in the competition and are undefeated this season, winning nine out 10 matches in the Turkish Super Lig. They possess a glorious array of former Premier League and Serie A talent, mixed with some domestic promise and they will be eager to make a mark in Europe.
Spurs have some injury issues to consider after Cristian Romero and Richarlison were injured in the recent victory over Aston Villa. They are already without Micky van de Ven, so the defence will be tested against Mauro Icardi and Victor Osimhen.
It will be a lively night inside RAMS Park.
Kick-off: 5.45pm GMT.
