Sports
Barcelona steps up Champions League preparation ahead of Galatasaray trip
October 11, 2026 at 12:31 PM · Updated 5d ago
Coverage
7 reports · over 44 hours
Barcelona has begun preparations for Tuesday's Champions League match at Galatasaray in Istanbul after extending its perfect start to the La Liga season.
- Barcelona defeated Getafe 3-0 on Saturday, recording an eighth consecutive league win to move to 24 points atop La Liga.
- UEFA appointed Italian referee Marco Guida to officiate Tuesday's Champions League match at Ali Sami Yen Stadium.
- Barcelona will travel to Istanbul without injured players Raphinha, Andreas Christensen, Frenkie de Jong, and Ronny Bardji.
- Egyptian forward Hamza Abdulkareem trained without rest after playing 11 minutes as a substitute in Saturday's win.
- Frenkie de Jong resumed training after a step in his recovery but will not travel, possibly returning against Real Betis next weekend.
- Barcelona finalized its Istanbul travel schedule, with the flight departing Monday morning and president Joan Laporta leading the delegation.
- Pau Cubarsi will join the squad and start Tuesday's match after being rested against Getafe.
- Coach Hansi Flick warned Barcelona's players about the hostile Galatasaray atmosphere, comparing the match to facing Paris Saint-Germain and citing Victor Osimhen and Leroy Sané.






