The hype surrounding Manchester United vs Galatasaray on matchday 2 of the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League season is real and ferocious.
Turkish clubs are known to be incredibly passionate, no matter their tier in the country’s football league system. Playing against any of these teams in their home ground is asking for the worst kind of intimidation as a team. Only teams with enough mental fortitude tend to survive Turkish stadiums.
Luckily for Manchester United, they start off facing Galatasaray, one of the big wigs of Turkish football, at their home, Old Trafford. The English club’s fans may be surprised to find that the little traveling crowd from Turkey (compared to the home fans who will be the majority in the 74,310-capacity stadium) can make just as much noise as they can.
More will always drown less, however, which means that Manchester United will win the fan battle.
The morale and motivation battle? It is a 50/50 case because the noise from the 12th man of Galatasaray will be felt. This is where Erik ten Hag will have to come in as there is a danger of this small group bringing the heat.
On the even playing field, both teams are almost equal in quality. Galatasaray have added the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Hakim Ziyech and top scorer Mauro Icardi. United can boast of many brilliant players as well.
Erik ten Hag’s problem, outside winning the fan battle which helps with morale and motivation for the team, will be to set up a system which Okan Buruk will be unable to surmount.
This is a match that could be decided by individual brilliance in the end but both managers will find peace in making sure that their teams are up to par in systems that can give them the three points.
The history behind both teams can also come into play. The Red Devils have won two and drawn one of the games that both teams played at Old Trafford. However, their most recent outing, in 2012, ended in a 1-0 loss for United.
As we gear up for another interesting clash, read on for match ticket information, team news and predictions for the game.
Match Tickets
3 October 2023 is the scheduled date for this matchday 2 fixture between Manchester United and Galatasaray. The game will be played at 8 P.M. at Old Trafford.
The game will be live on the official broadcast partners of the UEFA Champions League in all regions of the world. TNT Sports on Discovery+ and CBS Sports Golazo on Paramount+ will carry the game for those who prefer to stream it.
Fans who fall into this category will have to download their preferred apps on their smart TVs or other streaming devices and pay a subscription fee to access the games on these networks.
Match-going fans who want to get Manchester United vs Galatasaray tickets will have to stay alert as the tickets will go live on the websites of both clubs in a couple of days. Fans who are unable to get tickets on the website of either club can check out Seatsnet.com, a trusted ticket reselling platform (and other ticket reselling platforms) where some fans will be reselling their tickets bought via the club’s websites for various reasons.
Fans in Turkey can count on beIN Sports in Turkey to air the game because Galatasaray is the only Turkish team in the competition this season.
Team news
The biggest news coming out of Manchester United is the suspension of Jason Sancho. Off field issues with the manager has led to the player being ostracized from the squad. The club now look set to count their heavy losses with the player who cost them £73 million and earns £350,000 weekly.
Outside the issues with Sancho, United are still without Antony who, like Mason Greenwood last year, is embroiled in a domestic abuse scandal. Erik ten Hag can count himself lucky to have Mason Mount back in the squad as the midfielder was fit enough to be on the bench against Crystal Palace in their EFL Cup outing on 26 September 2023 and in their Premier League matchday 7 tie against the same opponent.
Galatasaray are going to play the first half of the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League season without five players, two of which are Davinson Sanchez and Tanguy Ndombele. The club were unable to register the former Tottenham Hotspur players for the competition and this leaves Okan Buruk short of quality for the competition.
He will not be helped by the fact that he has an injury in the team to left-back Kazimcan Karatas. His sole hope rests on Spanish left-back Angeliño and an injury to the player who is on loan from Red Bull Leipzig will be problematic for him.
Lineups
Sofyan Amrabat recovered from injury and played a few minutes in Manchester United’s matchday 6 Premier League fixture. The new signing is seen as the midfield partner of Casemiro in a bid to re-create the “McFred” dynamic that Scott McTominay and Fred had before the Brazil international moved to Turkey. He will likely slot into the starting lineup. Pellistri will retain his place in the lineup in place of the ostracized Sancho and the absent Antony.
Manchester United: Onana; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Reguilon; Casemiro, Amrabat, Fernandes; Pellistri, Højlund, Rashford
Galatasaray will also come out guns blazing against the Red Devils. Okan Buruk will call on the trickery of Wilfried Zaha and Hakim Ziyech to support Dries Mertens as they look to provide service for their top scorer Icardi. Both players have experience against Manchester United and Buruk will be counting on that experience at Old Trafford from the start of the game.
Galatasaray: Muslera; Boey, Nelsson, Bardakçi, Angeliño; Oliveira, Torrería; Ziyech, Mertens, Zaha; Icardi.
Prediction
Manchester United vs Galatasaray on matchday 2 of the 2023/24 season of the UEFA Champions League will be the seventh match between both teams. Contrary to the confidence levels of the Manchester United fans, things are almost even between these two teams. From six previous meetings, United have two victories and one loss. The other three clashes were draws. As stated in an earlier section of this preview, United’s wins have come at Old Trafford, which is the venue for this game. However, their opponents have a few players who understand the atmosphere of the Theatre of Dreams and this will come in handy for Buruk. It will still end up in a Man United win but it will not come easy for Ten Hag and his charges.
Manchester United 2 – 0 Galatasaray.