Group A of the Champions League is considered to have found the first ticket belonging to Bayern Munich. The German team is too strong compared to the other 3 opponents when it has won 12 absolute points after 4 matches. Copenhagen, Galatasaray and Man United have each won just one match and are competing for the remaining ticket.
Although Man United are at the bottom of the table, they are only 1 point behind the 2nd-placed team Copenhagen. In the context of the Danish team having to face Bayern, M.U only need to beat Galatasaray to have a great chance to decide their future in this group. In fact, they also have to win 3 points at all costs because in the final match, Erik ten Hag's team will face Bayern Munich. Old Trafford may not be solid enough for Man United to rely on such a strong opponent.
Before this match, Galatasaray had a good start after beating Alanyaspor 4-0 in the Super Lig. Stars in their squad such as Mauro Icardi, Dries Mertens and Wilfried Zaha all scored. They are the biggest threat to Man United's goal.
However, the situation of the defense is completely opposite to the attack. Former Tottenham centre-back Davinson Sanchez suffered a hamstring injury in the second half and was determined to be unable to recover in time for the Manchester United reception. Previously, in the training session preparing for the match against Alanyaspor, Abdulkerim Bardakci was injured and is leaving the possibility of playing in the middle of this week open.
Bardakci and Sanchez were the home team's central defender pair in the previous match against Bayern Munich. If Bardakci does not recover in time, Victor Nelsson will be the chosen one. Meanwhile, with his form on the rise, veteran Mertens could see Kerem Akturkoglu sit on the bench again.
In the context that the home team may only be missing 1 factor, on the other side of the front line, the away team has not yet escaped the storm of injuries. Stars who are unlikely to play due to injury are Lisandro Martinez (footed), Casemiro ( begging), Amad Diallo (knee), Mason Mount ( calf), Jonny Evans ( begging), Christian Eriksen (knee) and Tyrell Malacia (knee).
At a pre-match press conference, captain Erik ten Hag confirmed that Rasmus Hojlund and Antony will return to the squad to Turkey. However, whether Hojlund and Antony can start or not is still open. In the pre-match training session, Hojlund participated but not at high intensity.
Hojlund's presence will be very important as he has scored 5 goals in the Champions League after 4 matches, in contrast to his form in the Premier League (no goals yet). If healthy and starts, Hojlund will help Ten Hag reduce his worries as in the previous match against Copenhagen, Marcus Rashford was sent off and could not play in this match.
Galatasaray's expected lineup:
Muslera; Boey, Bardakci, Ayhan, Angelino; Torreira, Demirbay; Ziyech, Mertens, Zaha; Icardi
Man United's expected lineup:
Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Lindelof, Shaw; McTominay, Amrabat; Antony, Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund
The match between Galatasaray and Man United will take place at 0:45 on November 30 (Vietnam time), live on FPT Television.
