They have played four friendlies (next Friday they will play the fifth against Toulouse) to arrive in perfect condition for the return to the domestic competition. Juan Mata took part in the starting XI in all four games.
Galatasaray purifies its preparation for the return of club competitions. While the World Cup takes place in Qatar, the Ottoman team is carrying out a typical pre-season stage: training sessions and friendly matches to return in good shape on December 22. That day they will play their first official match after the break. It will be in the Turkish Cup against Keçiörengücü.
These weeks are important for Juan Mata. He signed for Galatasaray in September, with the competitions already underway. This made it difficult for him to adapt to the system of his new team. During this period, the Asturian footballer is doing the pre-season that he could not do in the summer. He has featured in Okan’s starting XI against Rayo Vallecano (0-1), Villarreal (3-4), Adana Demirspor (2-2) and Lazio (1-2). “We have to make the most of this break,” said Mata, who is aiming for the second part of the campaign: “Right now, our main rival is Fenerbahçe because they are the league leaders with two points ahead of us, but there are other teams that will also fight for the title.”
Assist against Lazio
In the matches against the Spanish clubs, Juan was about to score. He nearly scored from a direct free kick against Rayo; and hit the crossbar against Villarreal. In addition, in the last match, against SS Lazio, he set it up for Barış Yılmaz in the goal that made it 1-0 for Galatasaray. The fifth and last friendly will be this Friday against French Toulouse.
