After a summer that has seen Los Blancos visit Australia, China, Germany and Norway, Tuesday's clash at home is essentially a final tune-up for Real ahead of their La Liga opener against newly promoted Sporting Gijon on Sunday.
Match Details
Date: Tuesday, August 18
Time: 9:30 p.m. BST (4:30 p.m. EDT, 10:30 p.m. local)
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Free TV Info: La Sexta (Spain), TRT 3 Spor and Smart Spor (Turkey), Real Madrid TV (International)
Live Stream: Atres Player, La Sexta (Spain)
Consequently, this match is an important opportunity for the hosts, a last chance to develop chemistry, cohesion and comfort in the system and methods being implemented by new manager Rafa Benitez. We might see close to a full-strength lineup from Benitez against the Turks, particularly in attack, where a slightly altered philosophy looks as though it's being introduced—a philosophy built on positional fluidity and one in which the likes of Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo will have broad, roaming roles.
"The forward players have the freedom to move around and switch positions," Benitez said after the clash with Tottenham in Munich on August 4, reinforcing that perception.
Real Madrid will also be buoyed by the news of Sergio Ramos' contract renewal. As reported by the club's official website, the new club captain extended his deal through 2020 to put an end to a protracted transfer saga that has dominated Madrid's summer. Finally, it feels, Real can get on with their season.
However, Benitez could opt to rest a number of his stars and get one last look at players whose futures are uncertain in the Spanish capital. Among them, Asier Illarramendi and Fabio Coentrao are two men who have something to prove, while Real Madrid must make a decision over a possible loan stint for Marco Asensio.
Might all three get a chance Tuesday?
For Galatasaray, meanwhile, this clash could be a disruption rather than an opportunity.
Unlike Real Madrid, the men from Istanbul have already begun their league campaign in Turkey's Super Lig, fighting out a 2-2 draw against Sivasspor on Saturday.
As a result, this match, played a long way from home, is the sort of taxing midweek task that Champions League qualifiers are for many European clubs at this time of year—exactly the thing that Galatasaray avoided by beating rivals Fenerbahce for last season's Turkish title.
Thus, manager Hamza Hamzaoglu will bring a slightly weakened squad to Madrid, leaving last season's top scorer Burak Yilmaz and veteran defender Aurelien Chedjou out of the touring party for the club's second appearance in this event.
Indeed, Galatasaray met Real Madrid in the 2011 Bernabeu Trophy, a match that ended in a 2-1 victory for the hosts. That game, though, was among the lowest-scoring encounters in this fixture's history, with scores such as 5-0, 8-0, 4-0 and 5-3 being racked up in recent years.
Expect something similar this time around.
Match Details:
Date: Tuesday, August 18
Time: 9:30 p.m. BST (4:30 p.m. EDT, 10:30 p.m. local)
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
TV Info: La Sexta (Spain), TRT 3 Spor and Smart Spor (Turkey), Real Madrid TV (International)
Live Stream: Atres Player, La Sexta (Spain)
Team News
For Real Madrid, Raphael Varane and Coentrao took part in training with the bulk of the squad Monday, per the club's official website, suggesting the pair will be available to Benitez after recovering from injuries. Cristiano Ronaldo should also be available after sitting out Real's last three pre-season games with lower-back soreness.
However, Karim Benzema and Pepe remain sidelined for Los Blancos, with both men still hampered by muscular injuries they picked up during the summer campaign.
For Galatasaray, defender Semih Kaya, goalkeeper Eray Iscan, midfielder Hamit Altintop and winger Sinan Gumus are out because of injuries, per Transfermarkt. Additionally, Galatasaray have left out Yilmaz and Chedjou, as mentioned above.
Former Real Madrid man Wesley Sneijder is likely to start against his old side, while Jose Rodriguez, the Real youth product to whom former manager Jose Mourinho gave a league debut in 2012, should also feature at some point in the night.
Galatasaray's touring squad is as follows:
Fernando Muslera, Ismail Cipe, Alex Telles, Hakan Balta, Lionel Carole, Koray Gunter, Tarik Camdal, Sabri Sarioglu, Bilal Kisa, Jem Paul Karacan, Yasin Oztekin, Selcuk Inan, Wesley Sneijder, Jose Rodriguez, Olcan Adin, Emre Colak, Umut Bulut and Lukas Podolski.
(source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2549406-real-madrid-vs-galatasaray-team-news-predicted-lineups-live-stream-tv-info)