27.01.2026 14:11
Galatasaray received bad news from Yunus Akgün before the match against English representative Manchester City, which will take place away in the 8th and final week of the UEFA Champions League tomorrow. The star player did not participate in the last training session before the Manchester City match due to a viral infection. The final decision for the national player will be made by the club doctor and coaching staff.
Galatasaray will compete against the English representative Manchester City away tomorrow in the 8th and final week of the UEFA Champions League.
LION IN PURSUIT OF VICTORY
In the 8th and final week of the UEFA Champions League, Galatasaray will face the English team Manchester United tomorrow at 23:00 Turkish time at Etihad Stadium. In the league, the yellow-reds are in 17th place with 10 points from 3 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses. The Manchester team is in 11th place with 13 points and goal difference from 4 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses.
Before the last matches, Galatasaray, which is in a favorable position to qualify for the top 24, wants to finish the league in a higher position with the points it will earn against Manchester City. If the yellow-reds lose to the English team, their ranking will depend on the results of other matches.
The yellow-reds defeated Liverpool 1-0, Bodo/Glimt 3-1, and Ajax 3-0 in the Champions League this season, while losing to Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1, Union Saint-Gilloise 1-0, and Monaco 1-0. The Lion also drew 1-1 with Atletico Madrid.
336th match in European cups
Galatasaray has played 335 matches in European cups so far. In these matches, the yellow-reds have won 119 times, lost 126 times, and 90 matches ended in a draw. In the past matches, Cimbom has scored 460 goals while conceding 507 goals.
130th match in the Champions League
Having played 129 matches in the history of the UEFA Champions League, Galatasaray has won 32 of these matches, lost 65, and 32 matches ended in a draw. The Lion conceded 219 goals against the 131 goals it scored.
Okan Buruk's European record
Okan Buruk has managed Galatasaray in 33 matches in European cups. Buruk has won 13 of these matches, including 21 in the Champions League group and qualifiers, and 12 in the Europa League, while losing 11 times. He has also drawn in 9 matches.
Osimhen scored 6, Yunus scored 2
Galatasaray has scored 9 goals in the matches played in the Champions League. Of these goals, 6 were scored by Nigerian player Victor Osimhen. Osimhen is also in 3rd place in the top scorer race. Yunus Akgün also celebrated 2 goals for the Lion, while Marcos Llorente scored an own goal in the Atletico Madrid match.
Singo trained, Yunus absent
New transfers Noa Lang and Yaser Asprilla, along with Kazımcan Karataş, are not on the UEFA list for Galatasaray. Wilfried Singo trained with the team in the last practice, and the decision will be made by Okan Buruk. Yunus Akgün did not participate in the last training before the Manchester City match due to a viral infection. The final decision for the national player will be made by the club doctor and coaching staff. In the yellow-reds, Ismail Jakobs, Davinson Sanchez, and Mario Lemina are also on the yellow card suspension threshold.
Ilkay Gündoğan and Leroy Sane against their former team
If called upon, Galatasaray players Ilkay Gündoğan and Leroy Sane will compete against their former team Manchester City. Ilkay scored 65 goals in 358 matches for the English team during two different periods (2016-2023 and 2024-2025) where he also served as captain, and won the Champions League in 2023. The 35-year-old player transferred from City to the yellow-reds during the last summer transfer period. Sane, who played between 2016-2020, scored 39 goals in 135 matches.
First encounter with Manchester City
Galatasaray and Manchester City have never faced each other in European cups so far. The yellow-reds have competed against English teams 25 times, achieving 6 wins, 9 draws, and 10 losses. The Lion has played against Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Leeds United, West Bromwich Albion, and Tottenham during this period.
Manchester City has no victories against Turkish teams
Manchester City has played 2 matches against Turkish teams in European cups. The English representative has 1 loss and 1 draw in the matches played against Fenerbahçe in 1968. Additionally, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will play against a Turkish team for the first time in his career.
2nd place in the Premier League
Manchester City is in 2nd place in the Premier League with 46 points and goal difference from 14 wins, 4 draws, and 5 losses after 23 weeks. The English team last faced Wolverhampton at home and won 2-0.
The Manchester representative has defeated Napoli 2-0, Villarreal 2-0, Borussia Dortmund 4-1, and Real Madrid 2-1 in the Champions League this season, while losing 2-0 to Bayer Leverkusen, 3-1 to Bodo/Glimt, and drawing 2-2 with Monaco.
New transfers Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi are not on the UEFA list, and Josko Gvardiol, John Stones, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Dias, Nico Gonzalez, Savinho, and Oscar Bobb will not be available against Galatasaray due to injuries, while Rodri will miss the match due to a red card received in the Bodo/Glimt match.
Alejandro Hernandez will officiate
The match between Manchester City and Galatasaray will be officiated by Alejandro Hernandez from the Spanish Football Federation. Hernandez will be assisted by Jose Naranjo and Diego Sanchez Rojo. The fourth official of the match will be Jose Luis Munuera. In VAR, Carlos del Cerro Grande will be on duty, and Romano Clavadetscher will serve as AVAR.