Galatasaray, heading into their UEFA Champions League playoff clash with Young Boys, boast a strong historical record against Swiss teams.
The Turkish champions, who sealed the Süper Lig title for the 2023-2024 season, join the "Elite League" qualifiers from the playoff round after Fenerbahçe's exit in the third qualifying round against France’s Lille.
The first leg of this crucial matchup will take place at Wankdorf Stadium in Bern at 22:00 local time on Wednesday.
The return leg is scheduled for Aug. 27 in Istanbul.
Galatasaray have a notable track record against Swiss sides, having faced them 17 times in European competitions with 11 wins, two draws, and four losses.
The Lions have netted 42 goals while conceding 29 in these encounters.
This will be the first time Galatasaray and Young Boys face off in European competition.
Previously, Galatasaray has squared off with Swiss clubs Zurich, Sion, Neuchatel Xamax, Grasshoppers, St. Gallen, and Bellinzona, but never with Young Boys.
Home advantage
At home, Galatasaray has been unbeaten against Swiss teams in eight matches, with seven victories and one draw.
The team has scored 24 goals and conceded just seven.
In contrast, their eight away matches against Swiss sides include four wins and four losses, with 16 goals scored and 20 conceded.
A single neutral-ground match ended in a 2-2 draw.
Galatasaray’s only elimination by a Swiss team occurred in the 1963-1964 European Cup.
After losing 2-0 away to Zürich, they won 2-0 at home, forcing a neutral-site decider in Rome, which ended 2-2. Zürich advanced to the next round via a draw.
Memorable matches
One of Galatasaray’s most memorable European ties came against Neuchatel Xamax in the 1988-1989 European Cup.
After a 3-0 loss in Switzerland, they reversed the deficit with a stunning 5-0 home victory to advance to the quarter-finals, marking a highlight in Turkish football history.
Young Boys have faced Turkish teams once in European competition, meeting Fenerbahçe in the 2010-2011 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round.
They drew 2-2 in Switzerland but won 1-0 in Istanbul to progress to the playoff round.
Head-to-head record
Galatasaray's record against Swiss teams is as follows:
1963-64 European Cup: Zürich 2-0 Galatasaray, Galatasaray 2-0 Zürich (Zürich advanced via a draw)
1965-66 Cup Winners' Cup: Sion 5-1 Galatasaray, Galatasaray 2-1 Sion
1988-89 European Cup: Neuchatel Xamax 3-0 Galatasaray, Galatasaray 5-0 Neuchatel Xamax
1997-98 UEFA Champions League: Sion 1-4 Galatasaray, Galatasaray 4-1 Sion
1998-99 UEFA Champions League: Galatasaray 2-1 Grasshoppers, Grasshoppers 2-3 Galatasaray
2000-01 UEFA Champions League: St. Gallen 1-2 Galatasaray, Galatasaray 2-2 St. Gallen
2007-08 UEFA Cup: Sion 3-2 Galatasaray, Galatasaray 5-1 Sion
2008-09 UEFA Cup: Bellinzona 3-4 Galatasaray, Galatasaray 2-1 Bellinzona