Manchester United go into the lion’s den on Wednesday with their Champions League hopes hanging in the balance. A trip to Galatasaray is enough to chill the blood at the best of times. But with just two games left to secure qualification from Group A, United find themselves rooted to the bottom of the table. A win in the hostile atmosphere of Rams Park isn’t just preferable, it’s almost mandatory.
The Red Devils can count themselves lucky that there is anything at all to play for going into Matchday Five of the Champions League. Having lost three of their four encounters, realistically their hopes of progression should already have dissipated. But fortuitously, only Bayern Munich have attacked the competition with any consistency in Group A so far.
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The German champions have won all four of their games, crowning themselves as group winners with two games to spare. The implications of this are two-fold. Firstly, it offers United (and Galatasaray and Copenhagen) a shot at qualification despite only recording one win so far. Secondly, it makes the prospect of facing Munich in their final group game a very daunting one indeed.
But United will first need to defeat Galatasaray on away soil to keep their hopes of seeing the knockout stage alive. Even then, a win in Turkey might not be enough. If Copenhagen manage to somehow beat Bayern at the Allianz Arena, that would put them in the hotseat. If Copenhagen pull off the upset then avoid defeat to Galatasaray in their final group game, they will qualify in second place. Similarly, if the Turkish side beat United and then Copenhagen in their final tie, they will clinch second spot.
United can afford a draw tonight but only if Bayern beat Copenhagen and then Galatasaray draw with the Danish side. A win over Galatasaray and a draw with Bayern would work too, but would still be reliant on the Germans beating Copenhagen and then Copenhagen drawing with Galatasaray. Still with us?
So while a draw at Rams Park would keep United in with a shout, it would be a very tenuous one. Especially so when you realise that Erik ten Hag’s men would have to beat Bayern Munich to have any chance of progression. Not impossible of course, but highly unlikely given United’s struggles. Somehow, they are the Premier League’s form team at the moment. But the performances in their recent run haven’t matched the results. There has also been setbacks sprinkled in, not least a 3-0 defeat to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup and a 4-3 loss to Copenhagen in this competition.
United will likely need a miracle to see more than two more Champions League games this season. Given the precarious nature of their standing, even a third-spot drop into the Europa League could be beyond them. If you had to pick two games to rely on for qualification, away at Galatasaray and hosting Bayern are among the worst you could choose. But United don’t get a choice. Ten Hag must take what he’s been given and ultimately hope for the best, not only in his team’s games, but the games going on around him in Group A.
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