Manchester City will host Galatasaray at the Etihad on Wednesday, eager to secure a spot in the top eight of the UEFA Champions League.
Manchester City are coming into this game vs Galatasaray on the back of two defeats from their last three Champions League outings. Pep Guardiola’s men are 11th in the standings, and they need to win here. It remains to be seen whether they can get the job done at home.
Meanwhile, the visitors are winless in their last three Champions League outings, and this will be a difficult game for them. It will be interesting to see if they can bounce back strongly and pull off an upset. Galatasaray are 17th on the table, and they need a win to cement a spot in the top 24.
Manchester City have not been at their best in recent weeks, having lost two of their last three matches across all competitions. The visitors will certainly fancy their chances here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester City
John Stones (thigh), Mateo Kovacic (ankle), Oscar Bobb (hamstring), Ruben Dias (knock), and Josko Gvardiol (calf) are ruled out for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo are ineligible to represent Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League until the next round.
Manchester City will shape up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation vs Galatasaray, with Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal. Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly will start as the full-backs. They will keep things tight at the back and help out in the final third. Meanwhile, Abdukodir Khusanov and Nathan Ake will form the central defensive partnership.
As for the midfield unit, Rodri will start in the middle of the park, looking to control the tempo of the game and provide defensive cover, with Tijjani Reijnders adding drive and creativity alongside him.
Bernardo Silva and Rayan Cherki will add creativity from the attacking midfield role. Jeremy Doku will add pace, flair and goals from the flanks, with Erling Haaland spearheading the Manchester City attack vs Galatasaray on Wednesday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Ake, O’Reilly; Reijnders, Rodri; Silva, Cherki, Doku; Haaland
Galatasaray
Okan Buruk will be without Enes Buyuk, Wilfried Singo, and Arda Unyay due to injury concerns. Metehan Baltaci is suspended. Galatasaray are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Manchester City, with Ugurcan Cakir in goal.
Roland Sallai and Eren Elmali will start as the full-backs here. They will look to keep things tight at the back and hit Manchester City on the break. Davinson Sanchez will start alongside Abdulkerim Bardakci at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Lucas Torreira will start alongside Mario Lemina in the double pivot. Torreira will look to break up the opposition attack and protect the defensive unit. On the other hand, Lemina will add drive and physicality to the side.
Ilkay Gundogan will operate as the advanced midfielder here and look to create opportunities for his teammates through his passing, technical ability, and vision. He will look to link the midfield with the attack.
Leroy Sane and Baris Alper Yilmaz will support him from the flanks. They will look to add pace and unpredictability in the final third. Finally, Victor Osimhen will lead the line for Galatasaray vs Manchester City on Wednesday.
Galatasaray (4-2-3-1): Cakir, Sallai, Sanchez, Bardakci, Elmali; Lemina, Torreira; Sane, Gundogan, Yilmaz; Osimhen
Key Stats
- Manchester City have lost two of their last three matches in all competitions.
- Both teams have won three of their last six matches across all competitions. Both teams have conceded nine goals in seven Champions League matches this season.
- Manchester City have scored 18 goals in the last six matches in all competitions.
- Since the start of last season only Viktoria Plzen (9) and Fenerbahce (7) have drawn more games across the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League than Galatasaray (6). They have not drawn back-to-back matches in the same Champions League campaign since drawing five straight in 2001/02, however.
- Okan Buruk won three of his five previous UEFA Champions League games against English opposition (D1 L1), including an away win with Galatasaray against Manchester United in October 2023 (3-2); he also led Istanbul Basaksehir to victory over the Red Devils in November 2020 and Gala to a 1-0 win over Liverpool in this season’s league phase.
Play to Watch
Erling Haaland
The Norwegian international is our key player to watch. He will look to find the back of the net and help his team pick up all three points. Haaland has scored 35 goals in just 27 home appearances in the UEFA Champions League, netting 21 in 18 at the Etihad Stadium for the Citizens; only Sergio Aguero has netted more times in the competition at the venue (23).
Manchester City are not at their best, and they will rely on their star players to bail them out. Haaland could make a big difference for Manchester City in the final third. The 25-year-old is in outstanding form right now, and he will look to punish the away defence with his movement and finishing ability.
Prediction
Manchester City 2-1 Galatasaray
Both teams will look to pick up here, and this should be a crunch contest. They are in similar form right now, and it will be difficult to separate them. Manchester City are the better team on paper, but they have not been at their best in recent weeks. The Turkish outfit will look to pull off an upset here and put on a strong performance.
The two sides are likely to get on the score sheet, but Manchester City have enough depth to change the game around if needed, and they should be able to pick up a narrow victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Pep Guardiola and his charges.
