Manchester United - Galatasaray predictions and free betting tips [03/10/2023]

On the 2nd tour of the Champions League group stage on Tuesday, 3rd October, Manchester United will host Galatasaray at their home turf. This past Saturday, the 'Red Devils' fell to Crystal Palace in a 0:1 defeat, while Galatasaray secured a hard-fought victory over Ankaragucu (2:1) and now hold the second place in the Turkish championship.

Predicted Line-ups

Manchester United: Onana; Dalot, Varane, Lindelof, Reguilon; Casemiro, Amrabat; Fernandes, Mount, Rashford; Hojlund.
Galatasaray: Muslera; Boey, Sanchez, Bardakci, Angelino; Torreira, Demirbay; Zaha, Mertens, Akturkoglu; Icardi.

Stadium

The encounter will take place in Manchester at the Old Trafford stadium.

Manchester United

Having not triumphed in the Champions League since 2008, Manchester United squared off against Bayern Munich in the first round of the group stage. The Mancunians fell (4:3) after a wild shootout with 7 goals. This defeat underscored their season's start, illustrating issues in their defence. After the Munich setback, Ten Hag's squad ended their streak of three consecutive defeats, besting Burnley (0:1). Last week, United thrashed Crystal Palace in the League Cup's 1/16 finals (3:0), only to be defeated by the 'Eagles' again over the weekend (0:1). The hosts are currently in 10th place in the Premier League, fuelling chatter about the possible departure of the Dutch coach.  

Both Jadon Sancho and Brazilian player Antony were excluded from the training sessions due to disciplinary reasons. Key players are in the medical room, including Aaron Wan-Bissaka (right-back), Argentinian centre-back Lisandro Martinez, England's Luke Shaw (left-back), McTominay and Amad Diallo (14 goals for Sunderland last season). However, former team captain Harry Maguire has returned to full training with the squad. Portuguese Bruno Fernandes (2 goals) and Marcus Rashford (17 goals last season) will definitely be in the starting line up on Tuesday, along with Danish club newcomer Hojbjerg (9 goals, 2 assists last season for Atalanta).

Galatasaray

Having reclaimed the Turkish championship title following a four-year hiatus, Galatasaray progressed through the qualifiers in August to make it to the group stage of the Champions League. You could argue that the draw was unkind to the Istanbul side, pitting them against Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and reigning Danish champions Copenhagen. In the first round, the white-and-orange squad hosted Copenhagen in their home field, managing to come back in the last five 5 minutes after a two-goal deficit. Galatasaray remain unbeaten this season in all competitions, gaining 10 victories and drawing three times. Following their draw against the Danes, the Istanbul side prevailed over Istanbul Basaksehir (2:1), Istanbulspor (1:0), and Ankaragucu (2:1) this past weekend. As a result, they hold the 2nd place in the Turkish championship with 19 points.  

Turkish midfielder Karatas will not compete in the forthcoming match, and Hakim Ziyech, who is still rehabilitating from a recent injury, was sidelined in the previous weekend's championship match. Notably, holding midfielder Torreira is also unavailable. The remaining team includes Mauro Icardi (9 goals this season), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace), and Demirbay (Bayer Leverkusen) in the starting lineup. The former Napoli man, Dries Mertens, is available for the pitch, and talented player Kerem Aktürkoğlu (3 goals, 3 assists this season) will be in midfield. Davinson Sanchez will anchor the guest's defence.

Head-to-head

The clubs have met seven times throughout their history, with United coming out on top thrice and Galatasaray only once. They last played against each other in 2016 in a friendly match (5:2), when goals were scored by Rooney and Ibrahimovic.

Match Prediction Manchester United vs Galatasaray

While Manchester United belong to the heavyweights of the English football world, they have been struggling over the past few months. On the other hand, Galatasaray have yet to taste defeat this season across all competitions and possess an outstanding squad by Turkish standards. Considering United's problems, it seems reasonable to place a handicap of +1.5 on the Istanbul side.

Total Prediction

Galatasaray's attacking trio - Icardi, Zaha, Mertens, and Turkish wonderkid Aktürkoğlu - is truly impressive. United's infirmary is also a major concern. My forecast is an individual total for the visitors over 0.5.

Corner Prediction

The Turkish club has been winning corners in the last five matches, averaging around 6 corners per game. It's highly likely that the visitors will earn at least four corners on Tuesday.

Yellow Card Prediction

Galatasaray averages about 1.5 yellow cards per game - I would wager on an individual total for the visitors under 2.5 in this department.

Score Prediction

My prediction for the exact score will be a 1:1 draw.