Barcelona fly to Turkey with Gordon and Gabriel Jesus in scoring form for Galatasaray Champions League clash

Hansi Flick's Barcelona travel to Turkey on Tuesday to restart their Champions League journey with one significant absence and two in-form replacements. Raphinha, the team's leading attacking producer with 14 of the 39 goals the squad has scored, stays at home due to muscle discomfort that already kept him out against Getafe. His absence, however, stopped being a concern after the first match: Gordon and Gabriel Jesus took charge of sealing the win within the opening half hour.

• Raphinha does not travel to Istanbul due to muscle discomfort and will miss the game against Galatasaray.
• Anthony Gordon scored his first Barcelona goal against Getafe and added three goals for England during the recent international break.
• Gabriel Jesus has 3 goals in 5 Barcelona appearances, averaging one every 41 minutes.
• The Champions League meeting between Galatasaray and Barcelona kicks off tomorrow at 21:00.
• Barcelona have scored 5 goals in this season's Champions League and are looking to repeat their recent European efficiency in front of goal.

Raphinha ruled out as Gordon takes on a bigger attacking role

Raphinha's absence forces Barcelona to share the attacking responsibility. Against Getafe, Anthony Gordon pulled out his bow-and-arrow celebration after netting the 3-0 goal and scoring his first for Barcelona. Until that moment, the English winger had been highly rated by the fans and had already provided four assists, but had not managed to find the net himself.

Gordon admitted after the match that the goal was good for his confidence, although the numbers show he did not really need it. With England, during the international break, he scored in three consecutive games against Spain, Czech Republic and Croatia, and also delivered an assist against the Croatian side. He now hopes to extend that run against the Turkish team, whether as a starter or coming off the bench.

Gordon's Champions League record and his scoring numbers

Gordon arrives at the European fixture with an established reputation. In last season's competition he finished on the podium of the Champions League's top scorers with 10 goals, behind only Mbappé, who scored 15, and Kane, who reached 14. Four of those goals came against Qarabag and two more against Union SG. Barcelona, Benfica, Leverkusen and PSV were his other victims.

His performance against Getafe reflected that ability to appear in decisive areas once again. He was the second player with the most shots in the match, with three attempts, the second with the most clear chances created, with two, and the second with the most completed passes in dangerous zones, with 22, only behind Rodri.

Gabriel Jesus and a scoring rate that justifies his Barcelona signing

Gabriel Jesus has also made a devastating start. The Brazilian striker has scored 3 goals in 5 appearances in a Barcelona shirt and, notably, only started in one of those matches: the most recent one against Getafe. His record shows an average of one goal every 41 minutes, a figure that fully supports the club's decision to sign him. Those three goals are half of what he scored with Arsenal in the 2025-2026 season.

Gabriel Jesus made his Champions League debut for Barcelona against Feyenoord on 9 September 2026, just two minutes after coming on. Since then, he has also produced in LaLiga: he needed only 10 minutes against Racing and half an hour against Getafe. In total, he has 3 goals in 123 minutes. In Europe he averages a goal every 7 minutes, a remarkable figure, while in domestic competition he scores every 58 minutes, with two goals in 116 minutes of play.

Barcelona need goals in Europe and Galatasaray will not make it easy

In LaLiga, Raphinha leads the team's scoring charts with 12 goals, averaging one every 46 minutes. In Europe he also tops the Barcelona table with a pair of goals at an average of one every 36 minutes. Without the Brazilian, the goalscoring burden falls on players such as Gordon and Gabriel Jesus, as well as Lamine, Olmo and Fermín, who will have to provide the goals their attacking leader usually delivers.

Last season Barcelona scored 32 goals in 12 Champions League matches, a rate of almost three per game. This year they have 5 so far in the competition. Galatasaray, however, will not make things easy: tomorrow's match in Istanbul shapes up as a demanding test for a side looking to rediscover its cutting edge in Europe.