Galatasaray: How ‘Premier League’ Turkish team can derail Man City’s Champions League bid

Needing a positive result to avoid the Champions League knockout play-offs, Galatasaray are not the side Manchester City would choose to face.

In four recent meetings between Premier League clubs and the Turkish giants, Galatasaray are unbeaten. You must go back to December 2014 – a 4-1 win for Arsenal in Istanbul – for the last time an English side triumphed.

In 2023, Galatasaray finished above Manchester United in their Champions League group – sending Erik ten Hag’s men packing in last place – thanks to a 3-2 win in their most recent visit to the north-west before taking on Manchester City this Wednesday (20:00 GMT).

A chaotic 3-3 draw in Turkey followed. Then last season, they inflicted the only Europa League group phase defeat on eventual champions Tottenham.

Most recently, earlier in this Champions League campaign, Galatasaray outplayed an off-colour Liverpool to win 1-0 thanks to Victor Osimhen’s first half penalty.

So why do Cimbom – the enigmatic nickname for Turkey’s most successful football club – have such a good record against English teams?

According to assistant manager Ismael Garcia Gomez, it is because the Turkish league is the most English outside England – and Galatasaray is the most English Turkish club of all.

“I think sometimes with the more dynamic, transitional games we face against teams from England, we are very used to that,” Garcia Gomez told BBC Sport.

“The Turkish league is not at the same level, but we are more Premier League than all other European leagues, more than Italy and Spain where the tempo is lower. English teams, the ones we face, we feel comfortable because they are open.

“I have never had the experience of working in English men’s football, but I have experienced it as a fan. England is for the fans, the football for fans is the best.

“But Turkey, it has nothing to be jealous about. The atmosphere created in stadiums is amazing, I was fortunate enough to work across Europe, and the passion here is at the same level as any country we can name.”