Galatasaray open their 2026-27 Süper Lig title defence on 14 August against newly promoted Çorum FK at Rams Park in Istanbul, with the hosts expected to get off to a fast start as they look to retain the championship and qualify for the Champions League once again. They won last season's title by three points over Fenerbahçe. Çorum, who reached the top flight by beating Esenler Erokspor 2-0 in the TFF 1. Lig playoff final, are making their Süper Lig debut and are already among the favourites for the drop.
Okan Buruk has been at Galatasaray since June 2022 and has won multiple domestic honours in that time, whereas Uğur Uçar only took the Çorum job in February 2026. The two have never faced each other at this level.
Galatasaray had a rough pre season by any measure, losing to Monza, Venezia and Villarreal in friendlies. Çorum arrive having beaten Bodrum FK and Esenler Erokspor in the playoff to earn promotion but none of their players has Süper Lig experience and the squad budget gap between the two clubs is enormous.
Galatasaray have a largely fit squad heading into the opener, with Wilfried Singo back in training after a June hamstring injury and potentially available. Sinan Osmanoglu is still a doubt and recent loan arrival Lesley Ugochukwu has also come into the squad. Çorum's group is mostly new and injury information is scarce, so Uçar will be leaning on organisation rather than individual quality.
Galatasaray under Buruk press high and dominate possession, with Victor Osimhen leading the line while Leroy Sané works the right half space, dropping to combine with Osimhen and threading in late. Lucas Torreira screens in front of the defence while Gabriel Sara carries the ball forward from deep. Çorum will almost certainly sit in a compact 4-2-3-1 and try to absorb pressure before springing counters through Thiam, Fredy and Ramírez.
The central battle is Osimhen against Çorum's centre backs, who will determine whether this stays competitive or turns ugly quickly. Sané and Barış Yılmaz will look to isolate full backs and deliver early crosses and Torreira and Sara will aim to press high and cut off Çorum's counter attacking outlets before they can build any pace.
These two have never met in the Süper Lig, so the gap in resources between a defending champion and a newly promoted side is the only context worth considering. Buruk's side were a regular source of danger from set pieces last season, which adds another layer of difficulty for a Çorum team navigating their first ever top flight match in front of a large and expectant home crowd at Rams Park.
We're going with 2-0 to Galatasaray. Çorum's defensive approach will probably keep the scoreline from turning into a rout but a side with Osimhen, Sané and a high press should account for two goals against a team making their Süper Lig debut. Çorum will almost certainly prioritise shape over attack, which makes it hard to see them scoring.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
