Rob Eddy picks out his three best bets for Manchester United's Champions League group stage match against the Turkish champions.
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Manchester United are coming under more scrutiny as each game passes, and the pressure is very much on manager Erik ten Hag going into their first home game in this season’s Champions League against Galatasaray on Tuesday night.
The Red Devils head into the match on the back of a 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on Saturday, while the Turkish giants extended their unbeaten run in competitive matches to 20 with a 2-1 home win over Ankaragucu.
United find themselves at the foot of Group A after a 4-3 defeat to Bayern Munich on matchday one, a point behind Gala, who came from 2-0 down to rescue a 2-2 draw against FC Copenhagen at Rams Park.
Old Trafford hosts looking vulnerable
It is no surprise that Tuesday’s hosts are the favourites for this encounter but they are far too short at 4/9 given their underwhelming start to the season.
After a fantastic home record last term, United have already lost two of their four games at Old Trafford in the Premier League, while they have endured defeats in two of their three fixtures on the road, leaving them down in 10th in the standings.
There was a large slice of fortune about both their home wins over Wolves and Nottingham Forest while they didn’t pull up any trees in a narrow one-goal victory at Burnley.
They did dispatch Crystal Palace 3-0 in the Carabao Cup but a full-strength Eagles’ line-up got their revenge in a 1-0 victory on Saturday, while the 4-3 defeat at Bayern was a lot more one-sided than the scoreline suggests.
Ten Hag’s men have kept only three clean sheets out of nine matches so far this term, making the Turkish giants overpriced to get a positive result in Manchester.
Gala are riding a 20-match unbeaten run in all competitions, a sequence that has seen them go ten games unbeaten on the road, while they won two and drew one of their three away games in Champions League qualifying.
Goals may be a struggle
Injuries have not helped United’s cause this season and while they may be showing signs of tightening up at the back, they are lacking potency in the final third.
United have had to grind out 1- 0 wins over Wolves and Burnley, while they struggled to break down a stubborn Palace defence on Saturday.
Galatasaray have struggled on the road in the group stages in previous Champions League campaigns and are unlikely to adopt a gung-ho policy as a point will be seen as more beneficial to the visitors, with the attacking onus very much on United.
Four of the previous five matches between these two have seen no more than one goal and, with scoring something of a problem for United, this is unlikely to be a high-scoring classic.
Zaha ready to haunt Red Devils
Hakim Ziyech being ruled out is something of a blow for the Turkish side but they have a ready-made replacement in Wilfried Zaha who will be chomping at the bit to make an impression.
The former United forward scored on his first start for Okan Buruk’s side in the 2-1 win over Ankaragucu last time out and he should be full of confidence as he has previous against United.
The Ivory Coast international scored the winner in a 1-0 victory over United at Selhurst Park in 2022, while he scored twice in a 3-1 success the previous time Palace won at Old Trafford. At 9/2, he looks well worth considering to get on the scoresheet.
Tips
Galatasaray or draw @ 17/10
Under 2.5 goals @ 7/5
Wilfried Zaha to score anytime @ 9/2
