As we enter the last week of the Champions League, Galatasaray will play a critical 90 minutes with Manchester City to get their play-off ticket. The yellow-reds are guaranteed to be among the top 24 teams in the points table with a rate of 99 percent, and in this respect they are in a more comfortable position compared to the British representative.
On the Manchester City side, the picture is more complicated. If City wins a high-goal victory, it will have the chance to enter the top 8 and thus will be able to move directly to the last 16 rounds without playing a Champions League match until March.
According to BBC news Statistics show that Galatasaray is the side that has been in form against English representatives in recent years, including Liverpool and Manchester United.
The yellow-reds, who were not defeated by English teams in the last four matches, suffered their last defeat against Arsenal in December 2014. Galatasaray, which finished second in the group including Manchester United in 2023, returned with a 3-2 away win at Old Trafford and pushed its opponent to the last place.
Galatasaray, who suffered their only defeat to Tottenham in the group stage in Europe last season, managed to defeat Liverpool 1-0 in Istanbul this season with Victor Osimhen’s penalty goal.
“Turkish football is the league closest to the English tempo”
Evaluating Galatasaray’s performance against English teams, assistant coach Ismael Garcia Gomez attributed the success to the tempo of the game in his statement to BBC Sport:
“The Turkish league is not at the same level, but in terms of tempo we are closer to the Premier League than any other European league, even more than Italy and Spain, which have a slower tempo. We feel comfortable against the English teams we play because they play openly.”
Gomez emphasized that the atmosphere in Türkiye is also an important factor:
“I have worked in many countries in Europe. The fan atmosphere in Türkiye is like no other country.” he said.
The situation is mixed in City: A win is a must
Manchester City, who lost 3-1 away in Bodo/Glimt last week, dropped to 11th place in the league stage. In the table where eight teams have 13 points, City must win and its opponents must lose points in order to enter the top eight.
Galatasaray is in 17th place with 10 points. The yellow-reds, who have not won three matches after three consecutive victories, will pocket their play-off ticket with a point in Manchester.
Gomez said, “Every team is an ‘underdog’ against City. So are we. But when we are at a good level, we can play against anyone. We are confident in ourselves.” he said.
Sane and Gündoğan return to their old home
According to BBC news Galatasaray’s Champions League squad stands out in terms of its Premier League experience. The squad includes names such as Sane, İlkay Gündoğan, Torreira, Lemina, Davinson Sanchez and Gabriel Sara.
Particularly drawing attention to the role of Leroy Sane and former Manchester City captain İlkay Gündoğan, Garcia Gomez said:
“Sane and Gündoğan were great transfers. Gündoğan, whom Guardiola called ‘the smartest player I have ever worked with’, brings serious game control to the team. Sane is one of the best one-on-one players in Europe in the last 5 years.” he said.
Psychological superiority over the British?
The victories against Manchester United, Tottenham and Liverpool in Europe have increased the expectations of the fans before the match against Manchester City. Thousands of Galatasaray fans flock to Manchester to maintain this advantage over City.
Source: Newspaper Oxygen
