In the upcoming clash on Wednesday, Turkish Süper Lig reigning champions Galatasaray will host a troubled Manchester United side in the UEFA Champions League Group A reverse leg encounter.

The spotlight is on the Lions’ historical dominance on the pitch as they prepare to vanquish the Red Devils once and for all.

Boasting the title of Türkiye’s most successful football team in international competitions, the Istanbulites have competed in European cups a staggering 312 times.

With victories in the UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup, their track record includes 112 wins, 83 draws and 117 losses across all competitions.

Notably, Galatasaray have crossed paths with English clubs 22 times in European cups, facing off against the likes of West Bromwich Albion, Manchester United, Chelsea, Leeds United, Arsenal and Liverpool.

In these encounters, however, the Lions have secured four wins and eight draws and succumbed to 10 slaughters.

The imminent clash against Manchester United holds significance as it marks Galatasaray’s most-played matches against English teams.

Out of the seven meetings between the two teams, all in the Champions League, they have shared victories twice, while three matches ended in a draw.

Galatasaray managed to net seven goals in these bouts, while their English counterparts scored 10.

Galatasaray’s home advantage against Manchester United has been noteworthy, remaining undefeated in three encounters.

The historical matchups between the two teams include four games in England and three in Istanbul, where Galatasaray impressively kept a clean sheet.

One of the unforgettable encounters dates back to the 1993–1994 season when the Lions locked horns with the Red Devils in the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round.

Despite being considered the underdogs, Galatasaray secured a 3-3 draw in the first match and advanced by completing the rematch with a 0-0 score, causing a major upset in European football.

The head-to-head record of Galatasaray against Manchester United in UEFA competitions is as follows:

Oct.20, 1993: Champions League: Manchester United 3-3 Galatasaray

Nov. 3, 1993: Champions League: Galatasaray 0-0 Manchester United

Sept. 28, 1994: Champions League: Galatasaray 0-0 Manchester United

Dec. 7, 1994: Champions League: Manchester United 4-0 Galatasaray

Sept. 19, 2012: Champions League: Manchester United 1-0 Galatasaray

Nov. 20, 2012: Champions League: Galatasaray 1-0 Manchester United

Oct. 3, 2023: Champions League: Manchester United 2-3 Galatasaray

At Old Trafford, the Lions stunned everyone by rallying from behind, turning a 2-1 deficit into a remarkable 3-2 victory.

Notably, Manchester United have struggled in away matches against Turkish teams, securing only three wins in nine matches, accompanied by two draws and four losses.

They managed to score eight goals but conceded eight as well.

As the stage is set for the upcoming clash, Galatasaray face a setback with Colombian defender Davinson Sanchez, who was diagnosed with a second-degree strain in the upper left back muscle.

Despite this, the team’s focus remains on securing a victory in front of their home crowd.

With Group A leaders Bayern Munich having already punched their ticket into the knockout stages, the anticipation is high as Galatasaray aim to move up to second place by overcoming Manchester United’s challenge.

In preparation for the clash, Manchester United announced the absence of several key players due to injuries.

Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount, Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Jonny Evans, Christian Eriksen and Casemiro will be sidelined, posing a challenge for the English giants.

Galatasaray’s focus is on key players like Kaan Ayhan, Lucas Torreira, Tanguy Ndombele, Wilfried Zaha and the on-fire Mauro Icardi, with expectations of a strong performance at RAMS Park against Manchester United.

The Lions are poised to secure their European journey with a triumph in tomorrow’s match.

Should they outclass Manchester United in front of their devoted fans, a likely outcome, they will elevate their points to seven, establishing a commanding four-point lead over the Red Devils before the decisive last week.

In the unlikely event of an unfavorable result, Galatasaray will gracefully transition to the UEFA Europa League, ensuring their continental quest continues.

Source: Daily Sabah

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The fifth week of the UEFA Europa Conference League promises to deliver riveting moments as Turkish Süper Lig giants will be in action – Fenerbahçe facing Nordsjaelland away, while Beşiktaş hosts Club Brugge on Thursday.

Fenerbahçe will be on a mission to stamp their authority at the pinnacle of Group H as they aim to vanquish Nordsjaelland once and for all.

With nine victories and a single defeat in 10 European matches this season, the Yellow Canaries are well poised to advance into the knockout stages with either a win or a draw.

Ismail Kartal’s men, securing nine points with three wins in four group matches, currently reign supreme at the summit of the group ahead of Nordsjaelland with seven points, Ludogorets with six and Spartak Trnava with a solitary point.

In their previous encounter in Istanbul, Fenerbahçe painted Kadiköy yellow as always as they emerged victorious with a 3-1 score against their Danish rivals.

If Fenerbahçe manage a draw on Thursday, provided Ludogorets drop points against Spartak Trnava, they will secure a spot in the next round with one match to spare.

In the final week of Group H, the Yellow Canaries will host Spartak Trnava, while Ludogorets and Nordsjaelland will face each other in a crucial battle.

Setbacks

Ahead of the Nordsjaelland match, Fenerbahçe will be without the services of seven players due to injuries.

Alexander Djiku, Rodrigo Becao, Mert Hakan Yandaş and Ferdi Kadıoğlu will be forced to watch from the stands, while Serdar Aziz, Fred and Miha Zajc are not expected to feature in the Danish clash.

However, with the Joshua King and Michy Batchuayi fully fit and firing on all cylinders, Fenerbahçe’s gaffer, Ismail Kartal, will be expected to call upon the services of this exciting duo.

This season, the two players have directly contributed to 12 goals in European matches.

Batshuayi, appearing in nine out of 10 matches, scored four goals and provided three assists, while Joshua King, in seven European appearances, netted three goals and provided two assists.

In response to the defensive challenges posed by injuries to Becao, Djiku, and Serdar Aziz, and with Samet Akaydın not listed in the UEFA squad, coach Kartal deployed Oosterwolde-Yusuf Akçiçek in the central defense against Ludogorets.

With Kadıoğlu’s injury, Kartal will have to explore options in this area.

Kartal will have to contemplate fielding Crespo alongside young talent Yusuf Akçiçek in the center of defense, moving Oosterwolde to his natural position as a left-back.

In the right-back position, Osayi-Samuel is expected to secure his spot.

Including Yusuf Akçiçek in the starting XI, Ismail Kartal will complete the squad by reinforcing it with promising players from the youth academy.

Muhammet İmre, Furkan Onur Akyüz, Efekan Karayazı, Ahmet Necat Aydın, and Kaan Akyazı are anticipated to be included in the squad.

Synthetic turf

The Right to Dream Park, hosting Nordsjaelland’s matches with a capacity of 10,300 spectators, stands out with its 100% synthetic surface.

Due to weather conditions in Denmark, Nordsjaelland plays its matches on synthetic turf, prompting Fenerbahçe to tailor their preparations accordingly.

The Yellow Canaries will step onto the field with special cleats for the artificial surface and thermal materials to combat the expected -5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit) temperature at the match hour.

During the Nordsjaelland tie, Fenerbahçe will mark their 265th appearance on the continental stage.

Having played 264 matches in European tournaments, Fenerbahçe boast 104 victories, 105 defeats and 55 draws.

They have netted 355 goals while conceding 374.

Fenerbahçe suffered their only defeat in European competitions this season in the UEFA Europa Conference League, losing 2-0 to Ludogorets in the group stage.

After showcasing a remarkable performance with nine consecutive victories in qualifiers and group matches, Fenerbahçe seek redemption by securing a positive result in Denmark.

Eagles’ wet wings

Moving on to the struggling Beşiktaş, the Black Eagles will host Belgian side Club Brugge.

Beşiktaş, having secured one draw and suffered three defeats in the four group stage matches, sat at the bottom of the group with a single point, eliminating their chances of progressing after a 2-1 defeat to Bodo/Glimt in the fourth week.

On the other hand, Club Brugge, leading the group with 10 points from three victories and one draw, have already guaranteed their spot in the knockout stage.

The first encounter between the two teams in Belgium ended in a 1-1 draw.

Absences

Beşiktaş face a significant number of absentees ahead of the Club Brugge clash.

Necip Uysal, who received a red card in the last match against Bodo/Glimt, will sit out for this one.

Additionally, due to injuries, Daniel Amartey, Eric Bailly, Jean Onana, Salih Uçan, Milot Rashica, Rachid Ghezzal, Valentin Rosier and Arthur Masuaku are sidelined.

Beşiktaş, entering their 241st match in European competitions against Club Brugge, have a record of 90 victories, 48 draws, and 102 defeats in previous matches.

Familiar foes

The Black Eagles have faced Belgian teams nine times in European competitions.

Despite not quite a satisfactory record, Beşiktaş secured two victories, draw draws, and three defeats.

Notably, the 1996-1997 season saw Beşiktaş drawing 0-0 away and winning 3-0 at home against Molenbeek in the UEFA Cup first round.

Familiar territory

Beşiktaş has reached the quarterfinals in European competitions three times.

In the 1986-1987 season, Beşiktaş advanced to the quarterfinals of the European Cup.

They replicated this feat in the 2002-2003 UEFA Cup and the 2016-2017 UEFA Europa League.

Beşiktaş achieved their largest victory in European competitions during the 2018-2019 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round, defeating Faroe Islands representative B36 Torshavn 6-0.

Conversely, they suffered their most humiliating defeat in the 2007-2008 UEFA Champions League, losing 8-0 to English side Liverpool.

Source: Daily Sabah

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The group phase of the 2023-2024 UEFA Champions League is to conclude this month. Names of the sixteen clubs who will compete in the knock-out phase have been released. On Monday, 18 December 2023, UEFA conducted the draw for the last-16 round, at their headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

Defending champion Manchester City came out from the draw with the biggest smile as they will face off with the arguably easiest opponent. Pep Guardiola’s team will Danish champion Copenhagen, who were down at 37th in the UEFA club coefficient ranking. As the current title holder, Manchester City is Number One in that ranking. This means a pairing of Manchester City vs. Copenhagen is the most lopsided one in the draw.

“It’s the most difficult draw possible,” admitted Copenhagen Coach Jacob Neestrup. “Manchester City are a team that is complete in their collective play and armed with great individuals. They are the best club team in the world.”

With a team worth 1.26 billion Euro in market value, Manchester City is the priciest team of the last 16. That number is nearly 20 times higher than that of the Copenhagen squad, which only shows a modest worth of 66.35 million Euro. Add that to the fact that Manchester City has progressed from the round of 16 in each of the last six seasons in the Champions League.

The last time Copenhagen played in the last-16 in the Champions League was in the 2010-2011 season. They were beaten by Chelsea, with a 0-2 aggregate. That was also their best season in the UEFA competition.

Nielsen’s Gracenote has been analyzing the data since the Champions League last-16 draw was made. They give Manchester City a 97% chance of reaching the quarter-finals while Copenhagen has just a 3% chance of advancing. Compared to Manchester City, other seeded teams in the draw will face tougher opponents.

Unlucky Atletico Madrid, who ranked 13 in UEFA, draws a black ball to face Inter Milan (ranked 6 in UEFA), last season’s runner-up.  “We know how complicated the Champions League is; every match presents new challenges and different issues,” Atletico’s coach, Diego Simeone, mused. “Last year Inter went on a great journey in this competition. It will be a very difficult match.”

Inter Milan also recognized that a tough challenge awaits them. “Atletico are a difficult team to face. There were so many great teams; we knew it could be a complicated draw,” admitted Inter vice-president, Javier Zanetti.” “We have great respect for Atletico: we know their history and their culture. They will be difficult to beat.”

Bayern Munich (2) paired with Lazio (35). Barcelona (12) will clash with Italian champion Napoli (17), in one of the most heart-stopping matches in the round of 16. Arsenal (21) got a favorable draw against Porto (19) but must be careful, because their opponent has a strong tradition in the competition.

Real Sociedad (38) is the surprise team in the group phase, as they finished above Inter Milan and Benfica in Group D. But in the round of 16, they oppose a very difficult Paris Saint-Germain (4). Borussia Dortmund (11) will face PSV Eindhoven (31) and Real Madrid (3) could step on a potential banana skin in the form of RB Leipzig (7).

The first legs of the round of 16 will be played on 13, 14, 20, and 21 February, and the second legs will be played on 5, 6, 12, and 13 March 2024.

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UEFA has provided 200,000 euros ($214,000) on Friday to help with relief work in Türkiye, the country that will host the Champions League final in June.

Turkish Football Federation (TFF) President Mehmet Büyükekşi had previously announced UEFA had offered around 300,000 euros as a show of solidarity.

To organize more fundraising activities in the days leading up to the final on June 10 in Istanbul, it is also coordinating work among its 55 member associations to contribute to a disaster relief fund.

Initial donations included 150,000 euros from UEFA to the TFF and a combined 50,000 euros for the UEFA Foundation for Children charity to support two organizations working in the disaster area in southern Türkiye and Syria.

Moments of silence will be held before games next week in the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League, UEFA said. One European competition game will be held in Türkiye on Thursday. Trabzonspor will host Basel in the Europa Conference playoff round and players will wear black armbands.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes on Monday killed more than 20,000 people and devastated the region.

Source : Daily Sabah

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