Preview: Manchester United vs. Galatasaray
Manchester United will be aiming to bounce back from a damaging home defeat in the Premier League when they continue their Champions League group-stage campaign against Galatasaray on Tuesday night.
The Red Devils suffered a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace in the league on Saturday, while Galatasaray will enter the contest off the back of a 2-1 victory over Ankaragucu in Turkey’s top flight, which has left them top of the division.
The next crisis is never too far away for Man United, who have lost five of their opening nine matches in all competitions this season, including four of their first seven Premier League matches of 2023-24.
The Red Devils have made their worst start to a league season in 34 years, with Saturday’s 1-0 reverse to Palace at Old Trafford leaving them down in 10th position in the table, boasting just nine points from seven matches.
Erik ten Hag’s side did manage to record back-to-back wins over Burnley and Palace in the league and EFL Cup respectively after their 4-3 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on September 20, but they were unable to overcome a stern Palace outfit at Old Trafford last time out.
Man United are already playing catch-up in Group A due to their loss in Munich, and there is certainly pressure on Ten Hag to deliver a positive result on Tuesday, before the team switch their attention back to the Premier League, welcoming Brentford to Old Trafford on October 7.
Two wins would boost confidence ahead of the international break, but two defeats, or two disappointing results, would further increase the displeasure among the club’s supporters.
Man United have faced Galatasaray on six previous occasions, leading the head-to-head two wins to one, while three of their meetings have finished all square; the two teams last met in the group stage of the 2012-13 Champions League, with the Red Devils winning 1-0 at Old Trafford but losing 1-0 in Turkey.
Galatasaray are competing in the group stage of the Champions League for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign, while they have not managed to progress to the knockout round of the competition since 2013-14.
The Turkish champions played out a 2-2 draw with Copenhagen in their opening match in Group A, with Sacha Boey and Tete both scoring in the final exchanges to secure a share of the spoils for the hosts in Istanbul.
Galatasaray are actually unbeaten in all competitions this season, while they have won six of their seven Super Lig matches this season, sitting at the top of the table on 19 points.
Okan Buruk’s side will enter this match off the back of a 2-1 win over Ankaragucu in the league on Saturday, and they certainly have players that can hurt Man United, with Mauro Icardi making an excellent start to the campaign, while a certain Wilfried Zaha should have the chance to take on his former club.
Galatasaray have drawn three and lost seven of their previous 10 games against English opposition away from home, while they have lost 14 of their last 17 away games in the Champions League, but the Istanbul giants are unbeaten in their last 20 matches in all competitions.
Manchester United Champions League form:
L
Manchester United form (all competitions):
LLLWWL
Galatasaray Champions League form:
D
Galatasaray form (all competitions):
WWDWWW
We say: Manchester United 2-1 Galatasaray
This is a huge football match for Man United, and Galatasaray are certainly capable of causing more misery for the Red Devils on Tuesday night. However, under the lights at Old Trafford, and backed by a crowd that remain behind the manager, we are expecting the 20-time English champions to navigate their way to a huge three points.