FC Copenhagen – Galatasaray : Preview & Prediction
For Copenhagen, the chances on matchday six are simple to predict – beat Galatasaray and a place in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) knockout stage is theirs. They could also advance with a draw if Manchester United fail to beat group leaders Bayern Munich in the other Group A match, but with an impressive perfect home record against Turkish opposition in UEFA competitions (G4), Copenhagen will go for all three points.
Those four wins include a 1-0 victory over Galatasaray in November 2013, but winning at home at continental level has been a rarity these days for the Danish side, who have won just two of their last eight games at the Parken Stadium (E5, P1). Their home form has been similarly shaky domestically of late (E1, P2), meaning that Copenhagen are three points off the top of the table during the Danish league break until February.
Perhaps this is something Galatasaray will be looking to exploit as they know they need to beat Copenhagen to advance to the knockout stage. Beating Danish clubs away is not something they are used to as they have never done so before (E1, P1), and their recent record in their last 19 away games in the UCL (G1, E3, P15 – excluding qualifiers) provides little hope for a win in this clash.
It is not all grey as Galatasaray have lost just two of their 11 matches in UEFA competitions this season (G6, E3), surprisingly a surprising 3-2 win away to Manchester United. Continuing this might not be simple as you have to go back to 2012/13 to find the last time Galatasaray won two games on rival soil in the same UCL group stage – something they will be looking to improve on this time around in order to contest from UCL spring soccer for the first time since 2013/14.
Players to watch: Since the 4-3 win over Manchester United in November, Elias Achouri is the only Copenhagen player to score playing at home, and all of his four goals overall for the Danish side have been recorded at the Parken Stadium. Galatasaray’s Hakim Ziyech scored twice from free kicks the previous matchday, his first UCL goal in front of goal since scoring against Copenhagen’s Nordic neighbors Malmö in 2021.
Key stat: Galatasaray have conceded two goals in four of their last five away games in the UCL (including qualifying).
FC Copenhagen – Galatasaray : Betting Tips
Galatasaray – Win Odds: 2.55
