7M - Preview: Manchester City vs Galatasaray – Champions League Final League Phase Clash

Manchester City host Galatasaray at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday in their final match of the 2025-26 Champions League league phase, with both sides still fighting for a direct spot in the knockout stage.

City currently sit 11th in the standings—level on 13 points with seven other teams—but remain outside the top eight due to inferior goal difference. A win is essential, though qualification will also depend on other results going their way to avoid the play-off route.
Galatasaray, meanwhile, occupy 17th place with 13 points as well, holding a three-point gap to the top eight and a two-point cushion over 25th-placed Napoli and Copenhagen. While they still harbor slim hopes of reaching the top eight, securing any positive result in Manchester would guarantee their progression to the knockout rounds.

After a shaky campaign last season—where they barely scraped into the top 24 by finishing 22nd—Pep Guardiola's side began this year's league phase strongly, winning three and drawing one of their first four matches, including convincing wins over Napoli (2-0) and Borussia Dortmund (4-1).

However, their momentum hit a wall with a 2-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen on Matchday 5. Though they rebounded with three straight Premier League victories over Leeds, Fulham, and Sunderland, and then edged Real Madrid 2-1 on Matchday 6 (goals from Erling Haaland and Nico O'Reilly), their form collapsed in the following fixtures.

A damaging 2-0 derby defeat to Manchester United was followed by a shocking 3-1 loss to Bodo/Glimt—the same team Galatasaray beat 3-1 earlier in the campaign. That result dropped City to 11th and intensified pressure ahead of this decisive encounter.

Galatasaray have shown they can compete with Europe's elite, notably beating Liverpool 1-0 and overcoming Bodo/Glimt. Those performances underline their threat, even if they arrive as underdogs.

Team News

Manchester City will be without several key players: John Stones, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic, Savinho, Oscar Bobb, and Nico Gonzalez are all sidelined through injury, while Rodri is suspended. However, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden—both rested in the weekend's win over Wolverhampton—are expected to return to the starting XI.

Galatasaray will miss Enes Buyuk and Metehan Baltaci due to injury, while Wilfried Singo and Arda Unyay are unavailable through suspension. Victor Osimhen, who has netted six goals in just five Champions League appearances this season, is set to lead the attack, supported by Leroy Sane, Ilkay Gundogan, and Baris Alper Yilmaz.

Predicted Lineups

Manchester City (4-2-3-1):
Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Ake, O'Reilly; Cherki, Lewis; Foden, Silva, Doku; Haaland

Galatasaray (4-2-3-1):
Cakir; Sallai, Bardakci, Sanchez, Jakobs; Lemina, Torreira; Sane, Gundogan, Yilmaz; Osimhen

Prediction

Buoyed by their recent domestic win and desperate to avoid a play-off, Manchester City are strong favorites at home. Galatasaray's resilience offers intrigue, but City's quality should prevail in a high-stakes finale.

Prediction: Manchester City 3–1 Galatasaray