Man City vs. Galatasaray: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

Manchester City can secure their place in the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday night when they host Galatasaray at the Etihad Stadium.

Last week’s disastrous defeat to Bodø/Glimt leaves Pep Guardiola’s side in danger of failing to clinch a top-eight finish and subsequent ticket directly to the round of 16. Currently 11th in the Champions League league phase table and with an inferior goal difference to those above them, they are level on 13 points with seven other teams.

Some confidence was restored at the weekend following City’s bruising evening in the Arctic Circle as goals from Omar Marmoush and Antoine Semenyo secured a 2–0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Clinching back-to-back wins will be tough, however, with City’s inconsistencies and Gala’s undeniable quality making for an intriguing matchup in Manchester. The Turkish giants are still fighting for a playoff berth and have beaten Liverpool and taken points off Atlético Madrid, but have also been humbled by Eintracht Frankfurt and Union Saint-Gilloise.

City missed out on the top eight last season and while they have already secured their place in the playoffs this term at the very least, they will be eager to avoid two extra European fixtures.

What Time Does Man City vs. Galatasaray Kick Off?

Location: Manchester, England
Stadium: Etihad Stadium
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 28
Kick-off Time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
Referee: Alejandro José Hernández Hernández (ESP)
VAR: Carlos del Cerro Grande (ESP)

Man City vs. Galatasaray Head-to-Head Record

This is the first ever competitive fixture between Man City and Galatasaray.

Current Form (All Competitions)

Man City (WLLWW)	Galatasaray (WDDWL)
Man City 2–0 Wolves	Fatih Karagümrük 1–3 Galatasaray
Bodø/Glimt 3–1 Man City	Galatasaray 1–1 Atlético Madrid
Man Utd 2–0 Man City	Galatasaray 1–1 Gaziantep
Newcastle 0–2 Man City	Fethiyespor 1–2 Galatasaray
Man City 10–1 Exeter	Galatasaray 0–2 Fenerbahçe

How to Watch Man City vs. Galatasaray on TV, Live Stream

Country	TV channel/live stream
United Kingdom	TNT Sports 6, discovery+, discovery+ App
United States	Paramount+, ViX
Canada	DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada
Mexico	Max Mexico

MORE: Full list of Champions League broadcasters around the world

Man City Team News

Following his red card against Bodø/Glimt, Rodri will be one of many crucial absentees for City. The Spaniard is suspended for the clash with Galatasaray and that causes major issues for Guardiola with Mateo Kovačić sidelined and Nico González a major doubt having missed the past four matches.

The injury issues don’t stop there for City, who will continue without key centre backs John Stones, Joško Gvardiol and Rúben Dias for the upcoming clash. Further forward, Savinho and Oscar Bobb are missing with injuries.

Guardiola’s options are further restricted by the absence of winter recruits Marc Guéhi and Antoine Semenyo, both of whom will only be able to feature from the knockout phase onwards once registered.

Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Galatasaray

Man City predicted lineup vs. Galatasaray (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Aké, O’Reilly; Lewis, Reijnders; Cherki, Silva, Foden; Haaland.

Galatasaray Team News

There will be a whole host of familiar faces for Premier League supporters, with former City stars Leroy Sané and İlkay Gündoğan making returns to the Etihad. Davinson Sánchez, Lucas Torreira and Mario Lemina are among the other players to have played in England.

Galatasaray will be leaning on the goalscoring exploits of star striker Victor Osimhen, but manager Okan Buruk will be without the likes of Enes Büyük, Arda Ünyay and Metehan Baltacı—the latter suspended for his involvement in the Turkish betting scandal.

Galatasaray Predicted Lineup vs. Man City

Galatasaray predicted lineup vs. Man City (4-2-3-1): Çakır; Sallai, Sánchez, Bardakcı, Jakobs; Torreira, Lemina; Sané, Gündogan, Yılmaz; Osimhen.

Man City vs. Galatasaray Score Prediction

City continue to prove alarmingly unpredictable as they still fight on four separate fronts but Guardiola will expect an energetic performance from his players for an absolutely critical encounter.

City will be desperate to avoid the playoff round, especially with domestic cup matches coming thick and fast in the coming weeks, and they should have the attacking muscle to overpower an uncertain Galatasaray defence.

However, Buruk has plenty of attacking options of his own capable of unlocking a depleted City defence, even if it’s not enough to clinch victory.