Copenhagen take on the visitors Galatasaray in the round 6 match of UEFA Champions League group stage. The match will be played on Tuesday, December 12th at Parken Stadium (Copenhagen).
In the last Champions League playoffs, the Danish Lions played in the 2010/2011 season, where they were eliminated by London's Chelsea from the first stage. After many years, Copenhagen once again has a chance to advance to the Round of 16. The Danes performed well in the Champions League group stage, defeating Manchester United at home (4-3), putting up a fight against Bayern Munich (1-2 and 0-0), and coming close to a victory in the first match against Galatasaray but allowed the opponent to equalize after leading 2-0. As seen, in matches against opponents of various levels, Copenhagen more often played on Over 2.5 goals than on Under 2.5, whether playing at home or away. If only the Danes and the Turks were contenders for the second ticket to the playoffs, the hosts might have tried to defend, play solidly in defense, and secure a draw, which would ultimately be equivalent to a victory. However, this is not the case in this situation.
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Besides the participants in this match, the much-suffering Manchester United also claims to advance from Group A to the playoffs. They need to beat an unmotivated Bayern Munich at home and hope for a draw in Denmark. As for Galatasaray, unlike the hosts, it doesn't matter what happens at Old Trafford. Okan Buruk's charges have a clear task - win in the final round and advance to the Champions League playoffs. Interestingly, Galatasaray have not been in the Round of 16 for exactly ten years. The last time they were eliminated from the 1/8 finals by Chelsea, just like the Danes in their last playoff confrontation, which is amusing. In the group stage, the Turks played all their matches on Over 2.5. Besides the draw with Copenhagen, there were two defeats to Bayern Munich (1-3 and 1-2) and two exciting matches against Manchester United (3-2 and 3-3). Currently, Istanbul's lions need only a victory, and for that, they need goals. Considering their not-so-reliable defense, even one scored goal might not be enough for a visitor victory in Copenhagen. Therefore, they need to strive to score more.
We are in for a heated battle for a spot in the Champions League knockout stage. Both teams have repeatedly shown their ability to attack during the group stage. At the same time, neither the Danes nor the Turks have a reliable defense, as indicated by the statistics of goals conceded by both teams. One might think that everything is at stake, and the cost of mistakes is too high, so Copenhagen and Galatasaray will try to play as cautiously as possible, waiting for their possibly only chance. If not for one but - in the parallel match against the unmotivated Bayern Munich at Old Trafford, Manchester United plays. If Manchester United wins and there is a draw between the Danes and the Turks, they advance to the playoffs. Thus, even a potential draw in Copenhagen not only buries the visitors' dreams of the playoffs but may also hinder the hosts from advancing from the group. I think both the Turks and the Danes will play for a victory from the first minutes in this match. I won't venture to predict who will be stronger, but I expect at least three goals from these teams combined. The bet is Over 2.5 goals.
Prediction for the match: Over 2.5 scored goals.
