There was very little drama at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday as Manchester City scored twice in the opening half-hour and beat Galatasaray 2-0, but the incredible drama that unfolded in Portugal means Pep Guardiola’s side finishes 8th in the UEFA Champions League and heads straight to the round of 16.
MORE — Champions League table
Erling Haaland opened the scoring in the 10th minute, his 27th goal of the season for Man City, and Rayan Cherki put the game to bed with a fine finish in the 29th. Manchester City (16 points) entered the final matchday in 11th place — in position to play in the playoff round — but PSG and Newcastle, both of whom were ahead of them, drew one another on Wednesday; and Real Madrid, who finished with nine men, were beaten by Benfica.
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The biggest benefit for Man City will be realized when they have two (rare) mid-weeks without a game next month.
Manchester City vs Galatasaray live updates - by Andy Edwards
Manchester City vs Galatasaray final score: 2-0
Goalscorers: Erling Haaland (11'), Rayan Cherki (29')
GOAL! Man City 2-0 Galatasaray: Cherki slots home with plenty of time (29')
GOAL! Man City 1-0 Galatasaray: Haaland opens the scoring (11')
Man City starting lineup
Donnarumma - Nunes, Khusanov, Ake, Ait-Nouri - O’Reilly, Silva, Cherki - Marmoush, Doku, Haaland
Galatasaray starting lineup
Cakir - Sallai, Sanchez, Bardakci, Jakobs - Sara, Lemina, Gundogan - Yilmaz, Sane, Osimhen
How to watch Manchester City vs Galatasaray live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 3pm ET Wednesday (January 28)
Venue: Etihad Stadium — Manchester, England
TV Channel/Streaming: Paramount+
But it’s not guaranteed. City sit in 11th place in the table heading into the final round of games and even though they are level on points with eighth-place Chelsea (finishing in eighth or higher means you go straight through to the last 16 and avoid the playoff round), a win may not be enough as goal difference is so tight between several teams who are also on 13 points. City’s shocking defeat away at minnows Bodo/Glimt last time out could prove to be very costly.
Turkish giants Galatasaray could mathematically still make the top eight with a win but it’s very unlikely given their goal difference. Still, Okan Buruk’s side have been very good during the group stage and beat Liverpool at home and will have a proper go at City on the counter. Former City stars Ilkay Gundogan and Leroy Sane will both line up for Gala, while Victor Osimhen is a real threat up top and the likes of Mario Lemina, Lucas Torreira and Davinson Sanchez all have huge Premier League experience.
Manchester City team news, focus
Injuries at center back have plagued City in recent weeks and new signing Marc Guehi is not available to come straight in for this huge game as he can’t play in this competition until the knockout rounds. That means Nathan Ake will likely start alongside youngster Abdukodir Khusanov as Ruben Dias, John Stones and Josko Gvardiol are all out injured. Rodri is suspended in midfield, while new signing Antoine Semenyo isn’t available for this game and Nico Gonzalez is a doubt but is pushing hard to return from injury. Both Erling Haaland and Phil Foden were rested at the weekend and will be buzzing around early.
Galatasaray team news, focus
Sane and Yilmaz on the wings will be very dangerous on the counter, while Osimhen is a real handful and Galatasaray look to play the ball up to him as quickly as possible whenever they can as he has six goals in five Champions League appearances this season. Buruk is totally fine with playing on the counter and they’ve done it superbly against the big boys.
Manchester City vs Galatasaray prediction
This feels like it is going to be a very nervy evening at the Etihad. Given City’s defensive problems, go for a draw. Man City 2-2 Galatasaray.
