Galatasaray in Lisbon: Champions League preparations underway

Lisbon is preparing to host one of Turkish football’s most important European fixtures of the week. Galatasaray have arrived in the Portuguese capital for their opening match of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League campaign against Sporting CP.

According to information obtained by PT News Hub in Lisbon, the Galatasaray delegation is staying at Corinthia Lisbon. The Turkish side will complete its final preparations at José Alvalade Stadium, where the match will be played.

Final training session at José Alvalade

According to Galatasaray’s official media programme, head coach Okan Buruk and one Galatasaray player will attend the pre-match press conference at 18:30 Lisbon time.

Galatasaray’s final training session will begin at 19:00 Lisbon time at José Alvalade Stadium. The first 15 minutes of the session will be open to the media.

Osimhen not in the Lisbon squad

One of the most notable developments ahead of the trip is the absence of Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian striker is not part of Galatasaray’s travelling squad for the Sporting CP match.

Osimhen has been one of Galatasaray’s key attacking players and his absence leaves Okan Buruk with an important decision to make in the final third ahead of the Champions League opener.

When is Sporting CP vs Galatasaray?

Sporting CP and Galatasaray will face each other on Wednesday, September 9 at Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon.

The match will kick off at 20:00 in Portugal and 22:00 in Turkey.

First official European meeting between the clubs

The Lisbon fixture will also be a historic one, as Sporting CP and Galatasaray will meet for the first time in an official European competition match.

Both clubs enter the new Champions League campaign with significant expectations, making the opening-night meeting at José Alvalade one of the notable fixtures of the first round.

Rafael Leão returns to face his former club

Another major storyline surrounding the match is Rafael Leão. The Portuguese forward developed in Sporting CP’s academy and is now preparing to face his former club in a Galatasaray shirt.

Leão spent his formative years at Sporting before continuing his career elsewhere in Europe. His return to José Alvalade adds an additional Portuguese dimension to Galatasaray’s visit to Lisbon.

Attention in Lisbon now turns to Galatasaray’s final training session and the messages Okan Buruk will deliver ahead of the Champions League encounter.