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Galatasaray welcome Manchester United to Turkey in a crucial Champions League group stage fixture. Bayern Munich are streaking clear in Group A and have secured their spot in the knockout rounds for with four consecutive wins, but the second representative in the latter stages of the competition looks set to be contested fiercely. Copenhagen currently possess second place on goal difference from the Turkish club, with Manchester United only a point behind the pair but out with defeat here. A win away from home could well be a must regardless for Erik ten Hag’s side, though, with a tough encounter at Old Trafford with Bayern to come in their final fixture. Here’s everything you need to know. Get the latest match odds and tips here. When is Galatasaray vs Manchester United? Galatasaray vs Manchester United is due to kick off at 5.45pm GMT on Wednesday 29 November at Rams Park in Istanbul. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage on the channel from 5pm GMT. Subscribers can stream the action via discovery+. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider. Team news Defensive pair Abdulkerim Bardakci and Davinson Sanchez were absent from Galatasaray training on Monday, but both could yet feature with Okan Buruk and both players keen on their involvement. Reports suggest Bardakci’s problem is more minor than that of Sanchez. Manchester United are certain to be without Marcus Rashford, who will serve a one-match ban after being sent off in the 4-3 defeat to Copenhagen. Rasmus Hojlund is a doubt after missing the win at Everton with a muscle strain sustained against Luton, while Antony could be back from a knock. Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Jonny Evans, Christian Eriksen and Casemiro all remain sidelined, and Mason Mount has joined the injury list. Predicted line-ups Galatasaray XI: Muslera; Boey, Bardakci, Sanchez, Angelino; Torreira, Demirbay; Ziyech, Mertens, Zaha; Icardi. Manchester United XI: Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Lindelof, Shaw; McTominay, Amrabat, Fernandes; Antony, Hojlund, Garnacho. Odds Galatasaray win 13/8 Draw 11/4 Manchester United win 29/20 Full odds here. Prediction A draw. Galatasaray 2-2 Manchester United Read More Man Utd’s crucial Champions League game in doubt after torrential rain Galatasaray vs Man Utd LIVE: Latest Champions League updates Erik Ten Hag outlines how ‘calm’ Man Utd can negotiate Istanbul atmosphere Bruno Fernandes excited for ‘amazing’ atmosphere at Galatasaray Mike Phelan warns Man Utd not to get distracted by fierce Galatasaray atmosphere Bruno Fernandes talks up Alejandro Garnacho after stunning goal at Everton

Manchester United’s crucial Champions League clash against Galatasaray will be subject to a pitch inspection after hours of torrential rain in Istanbul left the match in danger of being postponed. Uefa officials were forced to examine the surface RAMS Park after thunderous downpours on Wednesday afternoon, with the Group A clash set to kick off at 8:45pm local time (5:45pm GMT) this evening. The Uefa Youth League match between Galatasaray and United, held earlier in the day and at a different stadium, was played during the torrential rain, which left the pitch sodden and the ball holding up on the surface. There is still time for conditions to improve ahead of tonight’s Champions League clash but there is also the prospect of further rain and the pitch becoming completely waterlogged. For now, Uefa are insistent that the match will go ahead and preparations are continuing as usual, but the conditions could still play a part on what is an important night in United’s season. United cannot afford to lose in Turkey and will be out of the Champions League if they are beaten by Galatasaray, who won 3-2 at Old Trafford earlier this season. Erik ten Hag’s side come into the match having shown some improved form, however. United have won their last three games in the Premier League and last suffered defeat when they were beaten 4-3 by Copenhagen following Marcus Rashford’s red card. United conclude their Champions League group stage campaign against Bayern Munich on matchday six, with the German side currently top of Group A with four wins from four. Read More Champions League: What do Man United, Arsenal and Newcastle need to reach last 16? Man United’s teen sensation who could offer salvation - and it’s not Garnacho Why Bruno Fernandes is the only choice as Man Utd captain

Injury has ruled out Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker for more than a fortnight but manager Jurgen Klopp admits it could have been worse and the Brazilian should be fit to face Manchester United next month. The keeper appeared to sustain a hamstring problem late in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Manchester City and although he managed to complete the match he is set to miss the next five matches – two of which he would not have played in as Caoimhin Kelleher deputises in the Europa League. Alisson will miss European ties against LASK and Union Saint-Gilloise as well as Premier League games against Fulham, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace but should make a timely return for the visit of their arch-rivals on December 17. Forward Diogo Jota was also injured in City game but his prognosis is not as good. “Both are out. Ali is a bit lesser, so we have to see. Not day by day – he cannot play tomorrow or Sunday. Probably not the week after should be kind of OK,” Klopp said ahead of the Europa League visit of LASK. “Alisson is not as bad (as we thought) but still bad enough. Diogo will take a little bit longer, don’t know exactly. Have to see.” Kelleher has made only five appearances this season but last played back-to-back matches in January 2022 and has never played more than three matches in a row in his Liverpool career. In the summer there was speculation about the 25-year-old wanting to seek first-team football elsewhere but Klopp said the current situation was exactly why the Republic of Ireland international was persuaded to stay. “Yes, that’s pretty much exactly it. That’s why we knew we wanted to have Caoimh here for these moments,” added the Liverpool boss. “Nobody, Caoimh as well, wanted Ali to get injured, but if these things happen then you need the strongest possible option and that’s Caoimh for us. “That’s the only positive about that, to be honest, that we can put in Caoimh. That’s fine. “Now he gets an opportunity that he deserves, he would have played tomorrow night anyway, that’s clear, but now he will have a few more games and hopefully he can show his full potential.” Defeat in Toulouse earlier this month made Liverpool’s task of guaranteeing top spot in the group – and thereby avoiding a play-off round in the knockout stages – slightly more difficult but it could be secured on Thursday at home to LASK if Union Saint-Gilloise beat the second-placed Ligue 1 side. But Klopp rejected the suggestion that result was a reminder that his much-changed European sides have standards to maintain. “It was not needed but it wasn’t helpful. It was three weeks ago and a lot of things happened since then. It just made the situation more difficult, that’s how it is,” he said. “Toulouse was maybe a one-off performance-wise – it was around Luton (a 1-1 draw) which was not too great either – but this was in a very short period of time. “Besides that the boys usually perform and that’s what we should concentrate on. “We want to win tomorrow night and we want to win in Belgium as well but if we don’t win tomorrow night the game in Belgium, in a super intense period, will be tough so it’s all about performing tomorrow night and really going for it, that’s the idea.” Read More Exeter’s Rob Baxter urges football law-makers to be careful over sin-bins trial Defender Manuel Akanji admits Man City made ‘a lot of mistakes’ against Leipzig Will Zalatoris back in the swing after enduring ‘golfer’s worst nightmare’ John Turner aiming to push T20 World Cup hopes on England’s tour of Caribbean On this day in 2015: Great Britain end long wait for Davis Cup win First half was the worst I’ve seen us – Phil Foden savours thrilling fightback

Arsenal will be looking to get the better of Lens in the Champions League, having lost in the reverse fixture in France. The Gunners only need a point on Wednesday to qualify for the knockout stages of this season’s top-tier European competition. After beating Sevilla both home and away, Arsenal have nine points from a possible 12 already in the campaign. After a less-than-perfect performance against Brentford at the weekend, Mikel Arteta will want his side to find their feet and perform well on Wednesday. Here’s everything you need to know about the fixture and get the latest odds and tips here. When is Arsenal vs Lens? The Champions League match is at the Emirates Stadium in London with a kick off time of 8pm GMT. How can I watch it? Arsenal vs Lens will be shown live on TNT Sports 2 with coverage starting from 7pm GMT. Subscribers can stream the actions via the Discovery+ app. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider. Team news David Raya will be available again after he missed the game against Brentford on Saturday due to being ineligible to face his parent club. Martin Odegaard was also fit enough to play, but Ben White could return for the Champions League clash. Jurrien Timber, Emile Smith Rowe and Thomas Partey remain on the long-term injury list. Predicted line-up Arsenal XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu, Odegaard, Jorginho, Rice, Saka, Jesus, Martinelli Odds Arsenal 1/4 Draw 10/3 Lens 15/2 Full Arsenal vs Lens odds here. Prediction Arsenal will secure the victory in front of the home fans, despite losing against Lens earlier in the campaign. Arsenal 2-0 Lens. Read More Champions League: What do Man United, Arsenal and Newcastle need to reach last 16? Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes he still has something to prove in Europe Football rumours: Juventus eyeing swoop for Thomas Partey On this day in 2015: Jamie Vardy scores in 11th game in a row Beth Mead scores first goal in over a year as WSL top three maintain momentum Kai Havertz gives Arsenal the perfect ‘example’ to follow in title race

Kacey Musgraves and Cole Schafer broke up, Mark Cuban is selling the Mavericks, Florida State is back in the CFP top four and more in the Roundup.

Manuel Akanji admits Manchester City need to cut our the errors after being exposed in their comeback victory over RB Leipzig at the Etihad Stadium. The holders trailed 2-0 after a lacklustre first-half display in Tuesday’s Champions League encounter before a Phil Foden-inspired recovery saw them fight back to win 3-2. With their place in the last 16 already secure, there was little cause for alarm on the night but, after recent Premier League draws against Chelsea and Liverpool, the champions are not fully firing. Switzerland defender Akanji said: “We didn’t play well in the first half. We did a lot of mistakes, (in) a lot of duels. “We had it change it in the second half. We spoke in half-time that we needed to do better. It still wasn’t great but we improved a lot, we didn’t do many of the mistakes. “It happens sometimes. We didn’t plan to go into the game like this. The first goal was me losing a duel off the long ball, the second one was Ruben (Dias) after the pass and it happens sometimes. “Normally we don’t do these mistakes but the good thing is we’ve got a good team. “Now we have important games before the Club World Cup against Spurs and Villa and we need to really focus on these games. We need points because we drew twice so it’s really important to get winning again.” Akanji was indeed at fault for the first of Lois Openda’s two first-half goals, with Dias caught out for the second. Foden sparked the comeback when he teed up Erling Haaland to become fastest player to reach 40 Champions League goals in just his 35th appearance. The England midfielder then scored a sublime equaliser before showing further nimble footwork to set up the late winner for substitute Julian Alvarez. The victory ensures City, who travel to Red Star Belgrade next month, will finish top of Group G. With John Stones again not fit enough to feature, Akanji played in the defence-midfield hybrid role his colleague has excelled in. “I like it,” Akanji said. “I play wherever the manager puts me but also in the Chelsea game and the weekend against Liverpool I felt more comfortable in there because I got used to the position. “When you come from defence into midfield it’s a big difference because normally you have all the game in front of you and suddenly there are players coming from all angles. “But I got a better orientation with the game set-up so I felt more confident. I can adapt pretty good. I play in different positions. I try to listen and do what the manager wants from me.” Read More Will Zalatoris back in the swing after enduring ‘golfer’s worst nightmare’ John Turner aiming to push T20 World Cup hopes on England’s tour of Caribbean On this day in 2015: Great Britain end long wait for Davis Cup win First half was the worst I’ve seen us – Phil Foden savours thrilling fightback Rodrigo Bentancur set to be out until February after tearing an ankle ligament Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink wants aspiring black managers to get ‘a fair chance’

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A video review official has been removed from his Champions League game on Wednesday, one day after having a key role in a disputed decision to award Paris Saint-Germain a stoppage-time penalty for handball against Newcastle which contradicted Uefa’s own advice to referees. The VAR specialist from Poland, Tomasz Kwiatkowski, is no longer listed to work at the Real Sociedad-Salzburg game and has been replaced by a German match official. In Paris on Tuesday, Kylian Mbappe scored in the eighth minute of stoppage time to salvage a 1-1 draw after a ball struck Newcastle defender Tino Livramento in the chest and then deflected off his arm, and a penalty was awarded by Polish referee Szymon Marciniak following a VAR review. Marciniak refereed the Champions League final last season and the 2022 World Cup final with Kwiatkowski in his team. Marciniak initially allowed play to continue Tuesday but awarded the penalty after he was advised by his video assistant to review the incident on the pitchside monitor. However, a Uefa panel of storied coaches and former players said in April that “no handball offense should be called on a player if the ball is previously deflected from his own body, and, in particular, when the ball does not go towards the goal.” The advice to be given to match officials this season was detailed by the panel, chaired by Uefa Chief of Football Zvonimir Boban, in an April 25 statement headlined “Uefa Football Board urges more clarity on handball rule.” “The handball rule, for example, will always be disputed, but we can make it more consistent and aligned with the game’s true nature,” Boban, the former Croatia and AC Milan great, said in April. Uefa declined to comment, in line with a policy not to discuss field of play decisions. The current laws of the game allow for handballs to be penalized even if the contact was not intentional and after a deflection if a defender’s arm is judged to be in an unnatural position. “But his hand is not in an unnatural position,” Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said after the game, “(his hands) are down by his side, but he is in a running motion.” The cross from Ousmane Dembele that struck Livramento was also going backward — and not towards goal. The penalty decision in the PSG game directly affected the standings in the tightly fought Group F, as it kept PSG two points clear of Newcastle in the second qualifying place for the round of 16 behind group leader Borussia Dortmund. “I feel it is a poor decision and it’s hugely frustrating for us as you know how little time there is left in the game,” Howe said. “There is nothing we can do about it now.” Newcastle must now win its home game against last-place AC Milan on Dec. 13 and hope PSG fails to win at Dortmund. The second-place team advances to the Champions League round of 16 and the third-place team goes to the Europa League knockout playoffs. Read More ‘He is the future’: Newcastle and Lewis Miley robbed of night to remember VAR the villain as late penalty call denies Newcastle rearguard win in Paris Newcastle fans attacked in Paris before Champions League match On this day in 2015: Jamie Vardy scores in 11th game in a row Football rumours: Victor Osimhen keen on making Chelsea move The sporting weekend in pictures

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believes a trial of sin bins at higher levels of football could rescue the game from being “ruined” by red cards - but former England captain John Terry says it could make the sport “boring”. Football’s lawmakers IFAB have backed a trial of temporary dismissals of players for offences such as dissent and tactical fouls and a proposed change to the laws of the game will be considered at its annual general meeting in March. If approved, sin bins could be introduced at the higher levels of the game by the start of next season and those backing the changes will now look to develop a protocol and a system for trialling after its successful implementation at grassroots levels. Like in rugby union, which operates a 10-minute sin bin for yellow card offences, players would be removed from the pitch temporarily under the new rules, with the emphasis on improving behaviour towards the referee. Sin bins were introduced across all levels of grassroots football from the 2019-20 season in an attempt to to improve levels of respect and fair play in the game and the rule change was implemented up to step five of the National League system. The IFAB also backed a proposal which would only allow the team captains to talk to the referee in certain in-game situations. Carragher said he has not been a “fan” of sin bins in the past but said football could benefit from a system of “orange cards” where players are not sent off for the full match for accidental dangerous play. The Sky Sports pundit cited recent red cards shown to Liverpool’s Curtis Jones at Tottenham and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford at Copenhagen where the punishment awarded was too severe. “I’ve never been a fan of sin bins before, but we are watching too many games that have [red] cards and for me it ruins the game,” Carragher wrote on Twitter/X in response to former England team-mate Terry, who said he was against the proposed change. Terry argued teams would be encouraged to sit back if they had a player sent to the sin bins and warned it could lead to “inconsistencies” from week to week. “I personally don’t like it because the level of tolerance and inconsistencies from referees will differ every week!" Terry wrote on social media. "Also what will happen is the team that goes down to 10 men for three minutes will go into a low block and make it difficult to break down, which will become boring for every one watching!" he added. Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the Fifa referees committee who sits on the IFAB’s technical subcommittee, said the proposed trials would “very probably” involve professional football. “The idea is to go deeper into all of the details because it’s easy to say we do (it) and it’s a bit more difficult how to regulate everything,” he said. “But the idea is to start working on this as soon as possible to provide those who would be involved in the trial a protocol to be used. “The trial was very successful in a grassroots competition. Now we are talking of a higher level, very probably professional or even high professional football. We need to draft something that works or is worthy for top football.” IFAB board members also agreed any new VAR measures should not result in any additional delays to matches, while supporting the need to continue developing semi-automated offside technology. Additionally, they discussed potential strategies to address time lost in matches and tactics aimed at disrupting the game’s tempo, including in relation to the six-second restriction for goalkeepers, delaying restarts and managing injuries. A possible law amendment, which would result in handball offences for which penalties are awarded being punished in the same way as fouls in terms of yellow and red cards, was a further consideration. Includes reporting from PA Read More ‘He is the future’: Newcastle and Lewis Miley robbed of night to remember Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes he still has something to prove in Europe Champions League: What do Man United, Arsenal and Newcastle need to reach last 16? ‘He is the future’: Newcastle and Lewis Miley robbed of night to remember Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes he still has something to prove in Europe Champions League: What do Man United, Arsenal and Newcastle need to reach last 16?

Gary O’Neil insisted on Monday, after his team were again on the wrong end of a controversial VAR call, that livelihoods were at stake over this misuse of the technology so controversially gaining a further stranglehold over football around the world. But there is something greater at stake – something that is irreplaceable, that untold millions cannot make up for. Lewis Miley’s performance in the Parc des Princes deserved to be talked about for generations of Geordies. The 17-year-old from County Durham should have been able to tell his future grandchildren about the time, on his full Champions League bow, against the might of Paris Saint-Germain, on their own turf, he went toe-to-toe with one do the best players in the world in Kylian Mbappe and won. It was a performance of honour. There were no spectacular goals or moments of jaw-dropping skill, more that a teenager not yet legally allowed to buy fireworks and his injury-ravaged side held the Parisien millionaires at bay for the second time in three months to achieve their greatest-ever European away result. Instead, we are talking about a ball brushing against an arm, again, and whether the interpretation of a single rule needs to be rectified. How depressing. “I just try to enjoy football and I’m just tired of discussing these matters,” Newcastle defender Kieran Trippier said. “If you’re on the end of it, in a good way or a bad way, nothing can change it. The referee makes a decision. “He had the chance to go to the monitor, which he did. So I don’t understand it, from my point of view you can clearly see that’s come off his chest and onto his arm. I’m standing here, discussing the decisions, why can’t officials? Why can’t the referee come out and explain why he gave that penalty? “We didn’t make one sub, it was 11 against 16 tonight. The lads have given absolutely everything, as I’ve said over and over again. We’ve all just got to keep stepping up. Everyone can see it is just not a penalty.” Trippier was well placed to be able to witness what Miley had just done to one of the world’s best players. Between them, Miley being 16 years Trippier’s junior, they nullified Mbappe for long periods of the encounter down the Newcastle right, and when presented with the opportunity, especially in the first half, the pair countered at will. There was no shirking responsibility or any appreciation for the magnitude of the occasion, Miley looked for the ball and carried it forward at every opportunity. In fact, no player in black and white made more entries into the final third than the talented teenager. “He was quality, again,” Trippier added. “Seventeen-year-old. He can go all the way to the top. “To come to a place like this, against this opposition, he wasn’t out of place. He was showing he is calm on the ball. He is an unbelievable player. He’s got a bright future ahead of him. “The good thing about him is he it feels like he’s played 500 games already. He is going be the future for Newcastle.” Such composure under pressure, authority on the ball, spirit to lead his team forward should not be forgotten, but it will. In 20 years time, the next generation of Geordies should have been the ones searching out clips of Miley’s coming of age – the moment one of the greatest players in the club’s history, which many who know him now keep suggesting he can become, announced himself to the world. Instead, such a performance will be lost in the vitriol. Something nobody asked for when technology was brought into our beautiful, storied game. Read More Xavi hails Barcelona winning mentality while Dortmund top ‘group of death’ Jamie Carragher and John Terry split opinion on sin bin trial in football Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes he still has something to prove in Europe Xavi hails Barcelona winning mentality while Dortmund top ‘group of death’ Jamie Carragher and John Terry split opinion on sin bin trial in football Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes he still has something to prove in Europe

Beth Mead says she is rediscovering the joy of football after a year shaped by loss and grief. The last time Mead played at Wembley, her mother, June, was still alive to see it. Wembley was the scene of Mead’s greatest triumph, when England won the Euros and she finished as the tournament’s top scorer and best player. What followed was the toughest year of her life, as she ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament and then lost her mum after a long battle with ovarian cancer. But on Friday, Mead has the chance to return to Wembley and make her first appearance for the Lionesses in 385 days. It is another significant milestone, both in the resumption of her career as a footballer, and in her grieving process. While she has required emotional resilience, Mead is proud of her journey and believes her mum would be too. “Growing up I would say I was mentally quite weak,” Mead says. “I’d like to think the things I’ve dealt with have made me a stronger and better person.” Injury not only robbed the 28-year-old of a place at the World Cup, but it took away an outlet to process the loss of her mother as well. Instead of having that focus, Mead was limited to a repetitive cycle of rehabilitation, a routine she got through along with her Arsenal team-mate and partner Vivianne Miedema, who was sidelined along with Mead after rupturing her ACL a month after she did. There were dark moments during rehab but Mead says those bad days feel better now she is back on the pitch and doing what she loves. On Sunday, Mead scored her first goals since returning to the pitch in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over West Ham. She dedicated both to her mum, a moment she had waited 11 months for. If that finally provided some closure, returning to Wembley is set to as well, even though it is the place where they shared some of their happiest memories. As with scoring her first goals, it can be a reminder that her mum is not there to see them and that can make it difficult as well. But Mead is back and the Lionesses have been lifted by her presence ahead of a pair of must-win fixtures against the Netherlands and Scotland. England manager Sarina Wiegman didn’t want to rush her return and said the forward needed more time when she named her squad for last month’s double-header against Belgium: but as Mead got minutes off the bench, and then starts, the confidence returned. “I’ve been feeling more like myself again,” she says. Instead of being in Australia with the Lionesses this summer, she was at home watching the World Cup on TV with captain Leah Williamson, who suffered the same injury four months after Mead. If missing the World Cup was cruel, having to watch as England narrowly lost the final to Spain was just as hard. The final was a tough watch for them both. “We struggled,” Mead admits. “We just want to help the team do the best that they can do. We got that taken away from us.” How England are in need of the return of the Euros golden boot winner. Defeat last month to Belgium left the Lionesses in third place in their Nations League group, with top spot required to secure a place for Great Britain at the Paris Olympics next summer. England, who have lacked a spark in games since the World Cup, must now beat both the Netherlands at Wembley and Scotland at Hampden while hoping other results go their way. Mead, who missed out on the 2020 Olympics after she was controversially left out of Hege Riise’s Team GB squad, famously sparking the form that led into the Euros the following summer, is as motivated as anyone to get the job done. Now she returns to the Lionesses with a renewed perspective, taking to each training session with a sense of fresh enthusiasm. “I feel like a kid again,” she smiled. After all, the thought of returning to England was Mead’s motivation during rehab. Now Wembley also offers a meeting that perhaps Mead could not have dared for during the dark days, the chance to face Miedema on the pitch when the Lionesses host the Netherlands, now both players have recovered from their ACLs. Even thinking about those moments with the people who lived and breathed what Mead went through during rehabilitation is enough to make her emotional. “I think it’s a nice moment for both of us,” Mead says. “It’s a hard journey - who does their ACLs at the same time?” she laughs. “We’ve seen the good and bad days from each other. But I’m proud of my journey and I’m very proud and happy to have had the support around me that I’ve had during this time. I feel very lucky and blessed to have had that.” Read More Beth Mead ‘smiling like a Cheshire cat’ on England return WSL and Women’s Championship poised to break away from FA The sporting weekend in pictures

It’s not quite hell any more, and Manchester United no longer look so tormented, but they do need salvation on Wednesday. Galasataray’s relatively new Rams Park stadium will be the stage for a definitive point in a season of hinge moments – at least, if Erik ten Hag’s side get through it, until the next one. United need victory to have any chance of getting through to the Champions League, but really know they need two in a row. The reason that has an importance for stakes beyond staying in the most prestigious competition is that such a key step can have an effect on everything that follows because of its significance. It is either confirmation that the team is on course or more serious cause for doubt. Ten Hag has endured a constant back-and-forth this season where the team has occasionally been convincing but results have never been consistent. Even some of the better victories have had that sense of only momentarily disguising the problems. The 3-0 win over Everton was a case in point because of how Sean Dyche’s side got at them before Marcus Rashford’s penalty. It has all left them in a situation that most clubs don’t get out of – but which isn’t quite impossible for United. They will be looking to become just the 10th club in Champions League history to get through the group stages having accumulated three points or fewer with just two games left. That’s just over two per cent of all 424 qualifiers since the group stage became the first round in 1994-95. It’s an awful lot to do, but there is at least some encouragement it’s possible. Four of the sides to have managed this have been in even worse positions. Three have been English, and two among their greatest rivals. Champions League miracle workers The nine teams that got through with three points or fewer with two games left Rosenborg 1996-97, three points Lyon 2000-01, three points Newcastle United 2002-03, three points Lokomotiv Moscow 2002-03, one point FC Porto 2004-05, two points Stuttgart 2009-10, three points Manchester City 2014-15, two points Arsenal 2015-16, three points Atalanta 2019-20, one point The question of whether they can do it in these games is of course connected to the far greater puzzle over whether it’s coming together for the season. This is another discussion that feels like it’s being repeated again and again – particularly when United go through a brief sequence of wins. The feeling from the outside has been that they’re just getting through it until the next disappointment, which Champions League elimination obviously would be; that the recent wins have been an illusory positive. The talk within, as has long been relayed, is that almost all of this is down to injuries and constant changes in personnel. There have nevertheless been misgivings about Ten Hag’s hardline approach with certain players, an overemphasis on fitness work and the fact that there is no real sense of the manager’s tactical idea. This is why doubts have persisted even around wins, and an otherwise admirable sense of defiance. Ten Hag, for his own part, would insist that a run of results will restore confidence which will make the team look more like what they’re supposed to. “It is good progress,” he said on the eve of the Galatasaray game. “You see we are stepping up, more stable, winning games so definitely there is progress from the first game.“ The Dutch coach believes that Kobbie Mainoo greatly helps that. There’s even a suspicion that his impact can end up being even more impressive and important than what it has been seen so far. Ten Hag is hopeful that Mainoo can be the Frenkie de Jong-style midfielder that he has been lacking since joining the club, and wants to see how a pairing with Mason Mount works. That could be crucial, although it is obviously a lot of pressure to put on a mere 18-year-old. It’s easy to forget now but one of the reasons that Ten Hag so pursued De Jong was because he feels the Dutch international is close to unique as a midfielder. Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch was actually one of very few who looked like he could have the qualities to be developed into a similar sort of player. Since Ten Hag couldn’t get either, though, the club went a completely different route with Casemiro. The Brazilian did offer a fine solution, but one that increasingly looks like it was a stop-gap. Ten Hag has been imagining his team going in another direction. Mainoo aids that. He has many of the same qualities as De Jong. He offers balance and that understanding of the way Ten Hag wants the team to move. Mainoo is certainly making good on the way coaches and scouts spoke about him when he was as young as 11. Youth cup opponents commented on how they’d never seen players so developed technically and mentally at Mainoo’s age. “Kobbie is so mature,” Ten Hag says now. It says even more that there is absolutely no concern about exposing him to Galatasaray’s infamous ferocious atmosphere. “No, we don’t have fear,” Ten Hag said. “If players are good enough then they are old enough.” The manner in which Mainoo immediately makes the formation fit should at least theoretically mean that Galatasaray won’t just cut through United in the way they did in the 3-2 win at Old Trafford. Reality can go another way, though, and involve a lot of unpredictables. It isn’t to question Mainoo’s superb ability to say it is maybe a reflection of where United are right now that there is so much responsibility on a teenager. A problem with United that precedes Ten Hag has also been the number of players or situations which look like a fix-all solution… but only for a brief period, because the issues are naturally much greater. Casemiro was one of them. Those with knowledge of the squad have commented on how “nothing seems to stick long-term”. Rashford looks elite “for a while”. Anthony Martial threatens a comeback “for a while”. A while might be all that is required right now, though, since United just need to get through this group to keep the season on track. That’s two weeks, set up by this one huge game. It is also a fixture loaded with all sorts of history and menace. United enlisted some of the players involved in that notorious 3-3 draw 30 years ago to speak about their experience before this game. The Champions League is a very different competition than it was then, though. This isn’t the Ali Sami Yen Stadium and this isn’t 1993. There is a familiarity from modern exposure which means very few venues carry that same level of intimidation. The main anxiety United might feel is the prospect of again failing, something that has been seen a few times this season. It is something else Ten Hag has been working on. He said: “You have to stay calm in your head and don’t get too emotional and control emotion, don’t give them anything, the referee as well, don’t give them a moment they can take, so you have to stay away from such moments. You have to make it your game. It is not that important how the opponent is playing, it is how you are playing. We will make a good plan and the players, they have to decide.” They could go some way in deciding how this entire season goes. Galatasaray vs Manchester United kicks off at 5.45pm on Wednesday. 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