• Aleksey Batrakov scored twice in three minutes, on 12 and 15, as Galatasaray beat previously unbeaten Stuttgart 2-0 at RAMS Park
• Stuttgart’s man-to-man high block was punished by Lemina dropping into the back line and Galatasaray’s switches to the unoccupied far side
• Buruk built his plan on one-v-one duels, using Barış Alper Yılmaz to drag Ramon Hendriks wide and leave Victor Osimhen isolated against Jeff Chabot
• Stuttgart’s best chances came from winning first contact after Galatasaray goal kicks, but Chris Führich’s 75th-minute goal was ruled out for offside by VAR
• Galatasaray climb from 23rd to 14th in the Champions League phase, while Stuttgart, sixth before kick-off, suffer their first defeat in this season’s competition

Galatasaray started matchday four 23rd in the league phase on three points, against a Stuttgart side who arrived sixth and unbeaten on seven, but Okan Buruk had a plan that played to his side’s strengths, and it was decided in the space of three first-half minutes. Defend, keep your territory safe, but make Stuttgart defend in one-v-one duels, in uncomfortable areas, and hit them on the counter in the dangerous spaces, and with Stuttgart lapsing just twice in concentration and in following their markers, Batrakov punished them both times.

Direct From the First Whistle

The tone was set straight from kick-off, Stuttgart going long into the deep left channel and winning a free kick, Galatasaray going long in return, and Stuttgart’s next goal kick going long as well. Neither side built short from goal kicks all night, so this was a direct game on set plays, for different reasons, and with English referee Chris Kavanagh letting the early pushes and tackles go, it was physical too, although Atakan Karazor was still booked inside two minutes for a heavy foul on Mario Lemina.

Stuttgart’s Man-to-Man Block

Out of possession, Sebastian Hoeneß instructed his side to press man-for-man in a high block, using back passes to Galatasaray’s full-backs as the trigger to press from out to in. In their 3-4-2-1, the wing-backs had a dual job, Führich, a winger by trade, and Jamie Leweling following Roland Sallai and Ismail Jakobs whenever they progressed with or without the ball, but also instructed to attack whenever Stuttgart won the ball back.

That was exactly where the first goal came from. On 12 minutes, Lucas Torreira received with no pressure on him, and nobody pressed the ball on the wing either when he found Sallai, who was not tracked into the half-space by Führich. Sallai’s low ball across the six-yard box came off a defender and fell into Batrakov’s path, a lucky finish, but there was nothing lucky about the build-up.

Three minutes later it was 2-0, and it came from the key mechanism when Galatasaray had the ball in their half. Lemina constantly dropped into the back line as an extra man, either to commit his marker or to drag one of Stuttgart’s front pressers with him. That in turn either unlocked a passing lane into midfield, let Galatasaray continue the build-up, or left the far side unoccupied.

On 15 minutes, it was the far side, Davinson Sánchez receiving on the right with no pressure on his touch or on his touches forward, and with Stuttgart’s block committed to the ball side and their line high, they couldn’t close the gap between the centre-backs. Sánchez released the through ball, and Batrakov ran between them to finish under Fabian Bredlow.

Stuttgart lost Karazor to injury on 18 minutes, Yanik Spalt coming on in his place, and they had not yet come to the party.

Stuttgart’s Route: Left-Side Bias and the Back Post

When Stuttgart did go long, it was to release Deniz Undav and Ermedin Demirović, the two strikers playing off one another either in behind the defensive line or holding the ball up to bring one of the wing-backs into play. Once they had the ball, the subsequent actions showed that crosses into the box for Leweling were their most direct route to goal, and that happened twice in the first half, Leweling hitting both posts in one move on eight minutes. On another day, both chances are taken.

The reason was an overload at the back post. Maximilian Mittelstädt underlapped on the left from the back three, drawing Sánchez across, Undav or Demirović took one centre-back with them, and Stuttgart held at least two, more often three players in the box waiting for the cross or the cutback. Stuttgart had a real left-side bias to their ball progression, with most of their XI left-footed, but they were also set up that way to build local numerical advantages, and those were punished by counter-attacks on the other side.

Galatasaray’s Duels

For the hosts, the plan was about isolations. Barış Alper Yılmaz’s pace dragged Hendriks into wide, uncomfortable spaces, stretching Stuttgart’s back line, and that in turn left Osimhen one-v-one against Chabot. Releasing Yunus Akgün against Mittelstädt was another option, bypassing the press that Galatasaray invited by playing out and hitting the space behind Stuttgart’s wing-backs directly. In their own half and their own penalty area, Galatasaray were also physically stronger and more aggressive, and Stuttgart did not look prepared for that level of aggression in their own territory.

Stuttgart reformed their pressing in the second half. Rather than pressing blindly onto Lemina when he dropped in as a third centre-back, they locked onto the option his movement was creating in the build-up, and then pressed the back pass he made to the goalkeeper when there was none.

Their best chances came from winning the ball after Galatasaray goal kicks and set plays. Whether Uğurcan Çakır punted it or Galatasaray tried to play out, Demirović used his cover shadow while pressing the goalkeeper’s first touch onto one of the centre-backs, Undav pressed Sánchez at the same time, and the deeper midfielder stayed touch-tight on Torreira from behind.

That took Galatasaray’s two extra players out of the game, and if Stuttgart won first contact from a long punt, they had extra players up the pitch, effectively a 4v3 once Führich or Leweling joined in, against tired legs with few Galatasaray bodies back. There were deliberate fouls to stop those counters too, Grischa Prömel and Sallai both booked within a minute of each other just after the hour.

Buruk’s Changes Seal It

Buruk responded on 68 minutes with two changes. Wilfried Singo replaced Sallai, a much-needed change with Führich constantly attacking in transition down that side, giving Galatasaray a pure defender at right-back, and Rafael Leão replaced Yılmaz, who had run out of steam, to unlock transitions at the other end.

Stuttgart’s way back came closest on 75 minutes, Undav hitting the bar before Führich put the ball in the net, only for VAR to rule it out with Undav offside when he shot. In the final quarter, Galatasaray committed fewer numbers forward, the double pivot staying back to defend long passes, and only Osimhen, the two wingers and the attacking midfielder were left to attack the centre, win second balls and run in behind Stuttgart’s high line.

Leroy Sané and Eren Elmalı came on for Batrakov and Jakobs on 77 minutes, and even when Stuttgart pushed up, the man-to-man marking and touch-tight pressure held. Galatasaray didn’t have the same attacking potency to put the game to bed, but they had done enough.

What the Manager’s Said

Okan Buruk felt it was the game he expected. “The match went as we expected. Stuttgart’s attacking power is high, but they also give away a lot of chances,” he said. “We were better when we stayed calm and built up with passes. We could have conceded at the start of the match, and we could have scored a third after going 2-0 up. Winning was very important. Even at 2-0 up, we conceded two counter-attacks.”

He also complained about the pitch and the officials: “There were very hard challenges in the first half. There could have been more yellow cards. Could Lemina’s challenge have been a red card? The English referee made his decisions in favour of the opponent. We are still happy with the result.”

Sebastian Hoeneß was left with mixed emotions. “I had the feeling that the game was just starting to swing our way. And then, in exactly that phase, looking back, you have to say that’s where we lost the game. We conceded two goals. It’s bitter, so unnecessary,” he said. “From my point of view, they were Galatasaray’s first shots on goal. In the second half, I can only take my hat off to the performance the boys showed. They left everything out on the pitch. Somehow, the ball just wouldn’t go in.”

Verdict on Galatasaray & Stuttgart

Galatasaray’s strategy worked very well, especially in the first half. Buruk turned the game into a series of one-v-one duels in areas Stuttgart didn’t want to defend, used Lemina as a spare man to unlock the far side, and when Stuttgart lapsed twice in three minutes, Batrakov was there both times. Hoeneß’s side deserve credit for how they adapted after the break, locking onto Lemina’s option and turning Galatasaray’s goal kicks into their own transitions, but a post, a crossbar and a VAR decision were as close as they came.

Galatasaray move up to 14th in the league phase, and with Aston Villa visiting Istanbul on 24 November, they now have real momentum. Stuttgart lose their unbeaten record but remain well placed on seven points. Was this a smash and grab, or the perfect away-day blueprint for beating Hoeneß’s Stuttgart?

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