Eintracht Frankfurt vs Galatasaray | Football Previews & Free Betting Tips | 18th September 2025

Champions League nights return to Deutsche Bank Park as Eintracht Frankfurt welcome Galatasaray on 18 September 2025. Frankfurt have made a mixed start to their Bundesliga campaign, showing flashes of attacking promise but leaking goals against top opposition. Galatasaray, on the other hand, have burst into the season with a flurry of wins and goals, and arrive unbeaten in their last five.

Expect a charged atmosphere in Frankfurt — the home crowd always delivers in Europe, flags and flares included. The travelling Galatasaray support is famously loud and should add plenty of noise from the away section.

Tactically, Frankfurt are leaning into a 4-2-3-1 that turns aggressive when their wide players cut in, while Galatasaray are built around a 4-3-3 with İlkay Gündoğan and Lucas Torreira steering things in midfield, and Leroy Sané’s pace adding an extra edge. Frankfurt will try to press and disrupt; Gala will want to keep the ball and feed Mauro Icardi up top.

• Frankfurt’s second-half bias: 60% of their goals come after the break, with substitutions often shifting their tempo late on.
• Galatasaray’s attacking volume: averaging 15 shots per game, they’ve hit three or more goals in seven of their last ten matches, spreading chances across Sané, Icardi, and midfield runners.
• Possession edge: Gala average 58% and 87% pass accuracy, compared with Frankfurt’s 55%. Expect the visitors to dictate tempo unless Frankfurt press aggressively from the front.

Eintracht Frankfurt: Out are Rasmus Kristensen (hamstring, October), Mario Götze (thigh), and Jessic Ngankam (broken leg). Jonathan Burkardt is nursing back problems, while Kauã Santos is not fully fit. Expect Arthur Theate and Robin Koch to pair at centre-back, Ellyes Skhiri anchoring midfield, and Can Uzun pushing forward behind the striker. Up top, either Elye Wahi or Michy Batshuayi should lead the line, supported by Ritsu Doan and Farès Chaïbi in wide roles.

Galatasaray: Victor Osimhen is out with an ankle injury and hasn’t travelled. Mario Lemina (calf) and Barış Alper Yılmaz (personal reasons) are also unavailable. That leaves Mauro Icardi to spearhead the attack, with Leroy Sané providing width and İlkay Gündoğan orchestrating in midfield. Uğurcan Çakır should start in goal, with Wilfried Singo offering balance at right-back.

Eintracht Frankfurt (last 10 competitive): mixed at 4–3–3. They’re scoring around 2.0 goals per game but conceding 1.3. Clean sheets are rare (25%), and heavy defeats to Bayern and Leverkusen remind us of their defensive fragility.

Galatasaray (last 10 competitive): excellent at 8–2–0, averaging 3.0 goals for and 0.9 against. They’ve smashed in 30 goals across those games and kept four clean sheets. They tend to finish strong, with 55% of goals arriving after half-time.

Frankfurt: 2.0
Galatasaray: 3.0

Frankfurt: 1.3
Galatasaray: 0.9

Frankfurt: 25%
Galatasaray: 40%

Frankfurt: 55%
Galatasaray: 58%

Frankfurt: 5.5
Galatasaray: 6.0

Frankfurt: 1.8
Galatasaray: 2.5

Frankfurt: 1.6
Galatasaray: 1.0

Frankfurt: 0.5
Galatasaray: 0.7

Frankfurt: 0.3
Galatasaray: 0.2

Frankfurt: 85%
Galatasaray: 87%

Frankfurt: 13.0 (5.0 on target)
Galatasaray: 15.0 (6.0 on target)

Frankfurt: 2.0
Galatasaray: 2.2

Frankfurt: 17.0
Galatasaray: 18.5

Frankfurt: 40% first half / 60% second half
Galatasaray: 45% first half / 55% second half

Frankfurt: 25% under / 75% over
Galatasaray: 10% under / 90% over

Frankfurt: 2.0
Galatasaray: 2.8

Frankfurt at home (last 10): generally reliable in front of their crowd with goals in most games, but they can get stretched when opponents counter quickly.

Galatasaray away (last 10): strong travellers, winning key qualifiers and scoring freely. Their away record is built on quick transitions and solid defensive shape.

Galatasaray create more high-quality chances on average (2.5 xG) compared with Frankfurt (1.8). Defensively, Gala also look tighter at 1.0 xGA, suggesting they’re better balanced at both ends.

These two haven’t faced each other in over two decades. Their only previous meetings came in the 1999/2000 UEFA Cup third round, where Galatasaray drew 0-0 at home before winning 2-1 in Frankfurt, a tie they went on to parlay into winning the competition that season.

Can Uzun (Frankfurt): The teenager has made a flying start since arriving, already scoring and bringing a spark to Frankfurt’s attack. His creativity between the lines could trouble Gala’s back line.

Leroy Sané (Galatasaray): Still settling into his new club but already showing his pace and directness. If Frankfurt leave space behind their full-backs, Sané is the man to exploit it.

Frankfurt at home will fancy their chances of landing a punch, but Galatasaray’s balance — goals across the front and a sturdy midfield screen — looks a notch ahead right now. Expect momentum swings and a frantic last half-hour.

Prediction: Eintracht Frankfurt 1–2 Galatasaray

Main pick: BTTS — Frankfurt’s matches trend over (75% over 2.5) and Gala are scoring 3.0 per game with 55% of goals after the break.

Value bet: Over 2.5 goals — Gala are 90% over 2.5 across their last ten, and Frankfurt’s xGA (1.6) suggests chances at both ends.