-
Man Utd’s Champions League clash with Galatasaray in doubt.
Manchester United is currently awaiting a verdict on the status of their Champions League group stage match against Galatasaray, scheduled for Wednesday evening in Istanbul. The precarious weather conditions in the city have cast doubt on whether the game will proceed as planned.
Ground reporters have observed persistent heavy rainfall throughout the day in the Turkish metropolis, raising concerns about the state of the pitch at Rams Park. Visual evidence depicts areas of standing water on the saturated turf, prompting UEFA officials to conduct inspections of the playing surface. As of now, the game is set to proceed unless an official decision dictates otherwise.
🚨☔️ Very heavy rain and storms in Istanbul. Galatasaray-Manchester going ahead as it stands but UEFA officials continuously checking conditions…
Rain is forecasted all night into the early hours of the morning. pic.twitter.com/okF1TVsPHc
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) November 29, 2023
Basic ball tests carried out by officials appear to be failing, with the water on the pitch preventing it from freely rolling or bouncing as normal. Rain is also still forecast throughout the evening and into the early hours of Thursday morning, suggesting conditions won’t improve.
Kick-off is currently scheduled for 8:45pm local time, which is 5:45pm GMT.
UEFA officials inspecting pitch atm. Ball not rolling smoothly, as you’d expect in these conditions. It’s been tipping it down all day. Turkish news agency said that as of now, the game is going ahead. https://t.co/uA3w1g0KM2
— Paul Hirst (@hirstclass) November 29, 2023
In another development in Istanbul on Wednesday, the Under-19 teams of Manchester United and Galatasaray had already faced each other in the UEFA Youth League amid torrential rain. The hosts secured a 1-0 victory in challenging weather conditions.
Regardless of when the senior team match takes place, whether on the initially scheduled Wednesday or at a rescheduled date and time, a win is imperative for Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United. With three losses in their first four games, including defeats to Bayern Munich, Galatasaray, and Copenhagen, United finds themselves in a precarious position. A strong finish in the remaining two matchdays is crucial for their advancement to the knockout stages from a group initially considered favorable.
The last time Manchester United progressed from a Champions League group was in the 2021/22 season, but they were subsequently eliminated by Atletico Madrid in the first knockout round. Notably, the Red Devils have not won a knockout tie at this level since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s early tenure, with Marcus Rashford’s memorable late penalty completing a remarkable aggregate comeback against Paris Saint-Germain, an event now nearly five years ago.