Galatasaray - FC Copenhagen predictions and free betting tips [20/09/2023]

On Wednesday, 20th September as part of the 1st round of the Champions League group stage, Galatasaray will host Copenhagen on their home field. Both teams are considered outsiders in quartet A, which also includes Bayern and Manchester United, so the match could have a significant impact in the battle for the third spot. 

Predicted Lineups

Galatasaray: Muslera; Boey, Nelsson, Bardakci, Angelino; Ndombele, Torreira; Tete, Mertens, Akturkoglu; Icardi.
Copenhagen: Grabara; Jelert, Vavro, Diks, Meling; Claesson, Falk, Goncalves; Bardghji, Oskarsson, Elyounoussi. 

Stadium

The match will take place in Istanbul at the Türk Telekom stadium. 

Galatasaray

The reigning champions of Turkey, who beat Fenerbahce and Besiktas in last year's campaign, are in the group stage of the Champions League, although they had to go through three qualifying rounds to get there. Galatasaray won against the Vilnius-based Zalgiris team (3:2 on aggregate), the Lubljana-based Olimpija team (4:0) and Molde (5:3), thus firmly securing their place in the final group. At the same time, Maurizio Icardi's teammates had an encouraging start to the national championship: they played a draw in the first round with Konyaspor (0:0), and then beat Yeni Malatyaspor (0:1) before the international break. On Saturday, Galatasaray faced Samsunspor and once again delighted their fans with a confident victory (4:2) thanks to goals from Baris Yilmaz, Yunus Akgun, Borja Mayoral, and Arda Turan.  

This Sunday, the newly acquired French midfielder Tanguy Ndombèlé, who debuted in the championship at the weekend, will appear in the starting lineup despite a rather serious injury. The Turks will be able to use their entire star lineup, including the experienced goalkeeper Muslera, defenders Dubois and Angelino, midfielders Torreira and Demirbay, as well as the Moroccan Hakim Ziyech, who made his first appearance for his new club at the weekend and provided an assist for Mauro Icardi, who has scored on eight occasions in the last six matches across all competitions. Galatasaray's attack may also include Tete, Bakambu, veteran Mertens and Zaha. In the national championship, the Turkish forward Kerem Aktürkoğlu has already scored twice, accumulating 3 goals and 3 assists in 4 rounds.

Copenhagen

In last year's Champions' League group stage, Copenhagen were unable to avoid last place in their quartet, falling to Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, and Sevilla. Having passed the qualifications against Slavia Prague (8:3 on aggregate), the Danish team aspires to achieve more, although the task promises to be not so easy. The team had a successful start to the championship, leading the league table with 6 wins in 8 rounds. After losing 1:3 to Silkeborg, the blue-whites then overcame Viborg with a 2:0 win, and this weekend drew 2:2 with Nordsjælland. On Wednesday, Copenhagen aims to win their first group-stage match of the Champions League since December 2016, although the visitors have only won one of their last twelve group matches away from home.

Head-to-Head

The teams met in the Champions League group stage in 2013. Then Galatasaray won at home with a score of 3:1, and Copenhagen took revenge in the return match.

Galatasaray vs Copenhagen Match Prediction

Galatasaray is currently in excellent form and has seriously strengthened their squad in the summer. Considering that the rivals in the group are United and Bayern, they can't afford to lose points at home against the main outsider. Copenhagen seriously lags behind the Istanbul grandee in terms of player selection and European cup experience, so I expect a convincing victory from the home team. 

Total Prediction

In the new season, Galatasaray is stepping from one victory to another and scored an average of 2 goals per game. With Mertens, Icardi, Zaha and Aktürkoğlu in attack, the hosts will surely score twice on Wednesday evening.  

Corner Prediction

The hosts not only have higher class but are also playing at their home arena – their victory in corners with a handicap of -1.5 is beyond doubt.     

Yellow Card Prediction 

The Turkish super club will play their first home Champions League match for several years – meaning motivation will be at a high. The hosts will get at least two yellow cards. 

Score Prediction

I will bet on an exact score of 3:0 in favor of Galatasaray.