UEFA Champions League: Galatasaray vs Manchester United Live
Preview
In order to have a shot at advancing to the knockout rounds of the Champions League, Manchester United must avoid losing as they travel to Rams Park in Istanbul to take on Galatasaray in the upcoming Group A match on Wednesday at 5:45pm. Manchester United is currently at the bottom of the group with only three points, while their opponents are just one point and one place ahead as they head into the second-to-last round of matches.
Keeping Bayern Munich at bay for 80 minutes at the Allianz Arena is quite an achievement, and Galatasaray were close to leaving their match against the Bundesliga champions with a hard-earned draw. However, the deadlock was finally broken when Harry Kane scored from Joshua Kimmich’s free kick, and the England captain extended Bayern’s lead with his second goal in the 86th minute before Cedric Bakambu’s goal made for a tense finish.
Bakambu’s injury-time goal ended up being just a consolation as Galatasaray missed the chance to secure a top-two spot in Group A, where three teams are competing for second place while group leaders Bayern watch on. Tied on points with Copenhagen but with a worse goal difference, the fate of Okan Buruk’s team remains undecided this week. A defeat, combined with a surprise Copenhagen win over Bayern, would leave them in a precarious position ahead of a potential decisive match against the Scandinavians on December 12.
Similar to Rooney’s incredible overhead kick against Manchester City in 2011, Garnacho replicated and possibly even surpassed the Englishman’s effort with an impressive acrobatic goal of his own to open the scoring against Everton on Sunday. Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial also scored in a 3-0 victory. Manchester United fans have not seen their team win a game by at least two goals since September’s 3-0 EFL Cup win against Crystal Palace, and not since May’s 4-1 victory over Chelsea had they won by such a margin in the Premier League.
This offers hope that Erik ten Hag’s team may have turned a corner in their season. The visitors will still have a chance to advance in Group A as long as they draw or win against Galatasaray, but a fourth defeat in five Champions League games will eliminate them, and they will finish at the bottom if they lose and Copenhagen defeats Bayern. Manchester United is motivated to avenge their 3-2 loss to Galatasaray at Old Trafford last month and to end their goal drought in away games against the Turkish side, which is their longest such run against a single opponent in Europe.
Head-to-head
Galatasaray has emerged victorious in two out of their last three champions league matches against Manchester United, with United securing a win in one of the games. Their most recent clash took place on match day 2 at Old Trafford, where Galatasaray secured a 3-2 victory.
Prediction
With plenty of young and seasoned attackers, Galatasaray have already demonstrated their offensive strength against Man United and are likely to continue to challenge Ten Hag’s defense in front of their home fans. It’s uncertain if Man United’s recent win against Everton will lead to a turnaround, especially with Rashford’s suspension adding to their roster issues. As a result, we find it difficult to confidently support Man United and predict another high-scoring European match ending in a draw, giving Ten Hag’s team a chance for a top-two finish.
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