Manchester United face Galatasaray at Old Trafford in the second round of Champions League group stage fixtures as both sides look for their first win of the European campaign. Read on for Last Word on Football’s predictions for Manchester United vs. Galatasaray and the best odds for the match at Old Trafford.
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Manchester United vs Galatasaray Predictions and Best Odds with Erik ten Hag Desperate for a Victory
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Man United Run of Form
It has been a tough watch at Old Trafford this season. A Premier League victory over Burnley and a comfortable 3-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup had lifted fans’ hopes and expectations that the inconsistent form displayed thus far was finally behind the club. However, a 1-0 home defeat against Crystal Palace at the weekend has dampened all optimism among the supporters.
Manager Erik ten Hag had “no excuses” for the most recent loss which made it back-to-back Premier League defeats at home for the first time since November 2021. It is now three defeats from five in all competitions with the 4-3 defeat to Bayern Munich in this competition preceded by a 3-1 home league loss against Brighton. The pressure is on the team ahead of this one, as failure to qualify from this group will put Ten Hag’s job in genuine danger.
Galatasaray Run of Form
The Turkish giants came from two goals behind to salvage a 2-2 draw with FC Copenhagen in their previous Champions League group-stage fixture. It might have been a disappointing result considering Galatasary were favourites heading into the game but the late comeback meant it was a point gained rather than two lost if they can get a result here.
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It has been three league victories since the group stage opener, all by one-goal margins. In the match preceding the FC Copenhagen game, Okan Buruk’s side picked up a win in a six-goal thriller, beating bottom-of-the-table Samsunspor 4-2. This run of form leaves the reigning champions in second place in the Turkish top flight, two points behind Fenerbahce with seven games played.
Recent Head-to-Head
The only competitive meetings between these two teams in the 21st century were a couple of fixtures at this stage of the 2012/13 Champions League. Galatasaray were victorious in their home fixture, beating an under-strength Man United team 1-0 with a second-half winner from Burak Yilmaz. The meeting at Old Trafford ended with the same scoreline with Michael Carrick getting the winner for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men. Nani missed a second-half penalty to double the advantage for the Red Devils.
Man United vs Galatasaray Prediction
It all depends on which United turns up here, with the home side more than capable of collecting three points even with the number of defensive players out injured. There is a big problem at left-back, as displayed in the defeat by Crystal Palace, and Galatasaray have the talent in wide areas to exploit this. It is unlikely that the manager will risk playing Sofyan Amrabat out of position again, as their opponents have some big-name wingers who can make life very uncomfortable for any full-back, let alone a midfielder playing out of position.
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The likes of Wilfried Zaha, Tete, and Dries Mertens are all familiar names to football fans with Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech also on loan but potentially unavailable for this one. The Turkish squad seem to be in better shape heading into this one and should be looking for at least a draw.
It cannot be forgotten that the Red Devils have some firepower up top also and it is surely only a matter of time before the goals start flowing for Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund. There should be goals in this for both sides, but it is likely to be honours even at the final whistle.
Current Odds: Man United vs Galatasaray
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