United seek return to winning ways

Manchester United FC kick off their 17th consecutive UEFA Champions League campaign at home against Group H rivals Galatasaray AŞ.

• Last season Sir Alex Ferguson's side suffered a group stage exit from the UEFA Champions League – their first since 2005 – and UEFA Europa League elimination in the round of 16. Galatasaray are back in the UEFA Champions League after a five-season absence and most recently reached the last 16 in 2001/02.

Past meetings
• Galatasaray beat United on away goals in the 1993/94 second round after a 3-3 aggregate draw. All the goals came in the Old Trafford first leg on 20 October 1993 as Bryan Robson and Reinhard Stumpf's own goal put United ahead, before Galatasaray replied through Arif Erdem, a Steve Bruce own goal and Kubilay Türkyilmaz. Eric Cantona made it 3-3 in the 80th minute for a home team including Ryan Giggs.

• The clubs met in the 1994/95 group stage, drawing 0-0 in Istanbul before a 4-0 United home victory on 7 December 1994 featuring David Beckham's first goal for the club. United finished third in the section with Galatasaray fourth.

• The full lineups that night were:
United: Walsh, G Neville, Bruce, Pallister, Irwin, Beckham, Butt, Keane, Davies, McClair, Cantona.
Galatasaray: Staučė, Mert, Sedat, Bülent, Ergün, Suat, Tugay (Yusuf Tepekule 63), Hamza (Uğur 46), Arif, Hakan Şükür, Türkyilmaz.

Match background
• United won just one home game in last term's group stage – against FC Oţelul Galaţi – and suffered Old Trafford defeats by AFC Ajax and Athletic Club in the UEFA Europa League. They last lost their opening UEFA Champions League fixture in 1996/97, 1-0 at Juventus.

• United's home record against Turkish teams is W3 D1 L2. Beşiktaş JK were the last visiting side to win at Old Trafford in the UEFA Champions League, prevailing 1-0 in the 2009/10 group stage.

• Galatasaray have never won in England, where their record reads W0 D3 L4. Their most recent trip brought a 3-2 group stage defeat at Liverpool FC in 2006/07.

Team ties
• As a Galatasaray player Fatih Terim suffered 3-1 home and away defeats by a West Bromwich Albion FC side led by future United manager Ron Atkinson in the 1979/80 UEFA Cup first round. Terim scored in the home game while Robson and Laurie Cunningham, later United players, struck in both legs for West Brom.

• As Turkey coach, Terim lost home and away to England in 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifying. His Galatasaray team suffered two reverses against Chelsea FC in the 1999/2000 UEFA Champions League first group stage, but beat Leeds United AFC in that season's UEFA Cup semi-finals and overcame Arsenal FC on penalties in the final.

• Emmanuel Eboué played with Robin van Persie at Arsenal from 2005 to 2011. He won once in six trips to Old Trafford and was sent off in a 4-0 FA Cup fifth round defeat in 2007/08.

• Milan Baroš scored once in ten appearances against United with Liverpool FC, Aston Villa FC and Portsmouth FC. The only two games that did not end in defeat were Liverpool's 2002/03 League Cup final win and Portsmouth's 1-0 FA Cup quarter-final success at Old Trafford in 2007/08.

• Albert Riera began his loan spell at Manchester City FC in 2006 with a 3-1 derby win against United. With Liverpool he won 4-1 at Old Trafford in 2008/09.

• Johan Elmander was a Bolton Wanderers FC player from 2008 to 2011.

• David de Gea and Tomáš Ujfaluši won the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League together with Club Atlético de Madrid. De Gea made his first European start in a 1-1 first-leg draw against Galatasaray in that season's round of 32.

• Van Persie scored the Netherlands' opener in their World Cup qualifying win against Turkey in Amsterdam on 7 September. Semih Kaya, Hamit Altıntop, Umut Bulut and substitute Burak Yılmaz played for the visitors.

• Danny Welbeck hit the winner, Ashley Young also featuring, in England's 3-2 win over Elmander's Sweden at UEFA EURO 2012.

• Nani was Portugal's scorer in a 3-1 friendly defeat by Turkey in June. Umut struck twice for the visitors.