Overview
Manchester City should have almost certainly secured a spot straight into the UEFA Champions League round of 16 if they had won at Bodo/Glimt Stadium last week. But the disappointing performance in Norway makes the door to the top 8 now almost out of reach.
Pep Guardiola's team is currently ranked 11th in the group stage standings and will host Galatasaray at the Etihad. Man City not only needs to defeat the Turkish representative to nurture hopes of finishing in the top 8, but also needs to wait for more "assistance" from other matches.
Coincidentally, PSG and Newcastle, two teams currently ranked sixth and seventh respectively, will face each other in Paris. And Man City will of course expect a draw. Chelsea, the team currently ranked eighth, has to play away at Napoli, the reigning Serie A champion.
Right above Man City are Barcelona (9th) and Sporting CP (10th). Barca has a favorable schedule when hosting FC Copenhagen, while Sporting is predicted to face a big challenge at San Mames against Athletic Bilbao.
However, Galatasaray is not an easy opponent. They have won the Super Lig for three consecutive seasons and are aiming for another historical milestone this season. Galatasaray's squad has many familiar faces to Man City fans, notably Ilkay Gundogan and Leroy Sane - the duo who have made a total of 493 appearances for the Etihad home team.
The biggest threat to the away team is likely Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian striker just reached the milestone of 50 goals for the club in his 59th appearance. In this season's Champions League, Osimhen has 6 goals after 5 matches, only behind Kylian Mbappe (11) and Harry Kane (7).
Osimhen is expected to be a dangerous drill in counter-attacks - right at Man City's obvious weaknesses. All 3 goals conceded against Bodo/Glimt originated from quick conversions. Since the beginning of last season, Man City has also been the team that has suffered the most shots after quick counter-attacks in the Champions League (25).
In addition, Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk has notable achievements against English representatives. He won 3/5 Champions League matches against English teams, including a victory at Man United in October 2023. Previously, Buruk also teamed with Istanbul Basaksehir to defeat Man United in November 2020, and this season Galatasaray defeated Liverpool 1-0 in the group stage.
Man City currently has lost 2/3 of their most recent matches in the Champions League, while before that they only lost 3/24 matches in the group stage. In their most recent home match in the Champions League, Guardiola's team lost 0-2 to Bayer Leverkusen. However, Man City has never lost 2 consecutive home matches in the Champions League group stage.
Man City's form in 2026 is still causing much concern, but they have just regained joy with a 2-0 victory over Wolves last weekend. However, it is not a completely dominant game, and Galatasaray is predicted to be a more difficult test.
In terms of force, two new signings Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi played prominently against Wolves but were not qualified to play in this match. Erling Haaland and Phil Foden were rested on the bench last weekend, but still came on in the second half.
Matheus Nunes has returned after recovering, but Savinho, John Stones, Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias, Mateo Kovacic, Oscar Bobb and Nico Gonzalez are all absent due to injury. Rodri is suspended.
Head-to-head record
This will be the first time Man City and Galatasaray have met, and also the first time Pep Guardiola has faced a Turkish team in his coaching career.
The most recent English representative to defeat Galatasaray in the Champions League was Arsenal in December 2014. Since then, the Turkish team has been unbeaten in three encounters with English clubs in this tournament, including a victory against Liverpool in the group stage this season.
Meanwhile, the only time Man City had encountered a Turkish team was 57 years ago. In the European C1 Cup in the 1968-1969 season, they were eliminated by Fenerbahce right from the first round.
Score prediction: Man City 2-1 Galatasaray
The match between Man City and Galatasaray takes place at 3:00 AM on January 29 (Vietnam time).
