Copenhagen vs Galatasaray facts

Galatasaray return to the scene of their greatest European triumph to take on Copenhagen in a decisive Matchday 6 fixture in UEFA Champions League Group A.

The teams – who drew 2-2 in Istanbul on Matchday 1 thanks to a dramatic late fightback from the home side – are level on five points, one ahead of Manchester United, who need to win and hope the game at Parken finishes all square to snatch second place behind Bayern München.

Gala, who lifted their first European silverware in Copenhagen with victory in the 2000 UEFA Cup final, have a goal difference of -2 compared to the Danish side's -1.

Galatasaray last made it out of their group in 2013/14 while Copenhagen's sole appearance in the round of 16 came in 2010/11.

Previous meetings 

3 matches
1 Copenhagen win
1 Galatasaray win
1 draw
4 Copenhagen goals
5 Galatasaray goals

Galatasaray staged a remarkable late comeback to rescue a point in Istanbul on Matchday 1, Sacha Boey (86) and substitute Tetê (88) cancelling out goals either side of half-time for the visitors from Mohamed Elyounoussi (35) and Diogo Gonçalves (58) after Copenhagen had lost Elias Jelert to a 73rd-minute red card.

The team's only other fixtures came in the 2013/14 Champions League group stage.

Galatasaray were 3-1 winners in Istanbul on Matchday 3 thanks to first-half goals from Felipe Melo (10), Wesley Sneijder (38) and Didier Drogba (45+1), Claudemir with the Copenhagen consolation two minutes from time.

The Danish side turned the tables in Copenhagen on Matchday 4, Daniel Braaten's sixth-minute strike enough for a 1-0 win.

That proved Copenhagen's only victory in Group B as they finished fourth on four points. Galatasaray, however, picked up seven points to take second place behind Real Madrid and ahead of Juventus before losing 3-1 on aggregate to Chelsea in the round of 16.

Form guide

Copenhagen

Record vs Turkish clubs: W3 D2 L2 F9 A7
Home record vs Turkish clubs: W4 D0 L0

Copenhagen reached last season's Champions League group stage with an aggregate victory against Turkish opponents, a 2-1 first-leg win at home to Trabzonspor setting up an aggregate play-off victory by the same score.

That made it four wins in four home games against Turkish clubs, with 11 goals scored and only one conceded.

The Matchday 1 draw in Türkiye extended Copenhagen's unbeaten run against Turkish clubs to six games (W4 D2), since the 2013 loss at Galatasaray.

Copenhagen are in the Champions League group stage for the sixth time, having made their first appearance since 2016/17 last season. No other Danish side has featured more than twice.

The Danish club finished fourth in their section for the third time in their five group campaigns in 2022/23, failing to win a game in Group G. They did, however, draw all three home matches, losing all three away including a 5-0 reverse at Manchester City that equalled their biggest European defeat.

Four of Copenhagen's five campaigns in the Champions League proper have ended in the group stage, the exception 2010/11 when they lost to Chelsea in the round of 16 (0-2 h, 0-0 a).

The Danish champions eased past Breidablik of Iceland in their first European tie this season in the second qualifying round (2-0 a, 6-3 h), but had to come through a tight third qualifying round contest against Sparta Praha, the first leg at Parken finishing scoreless before a 3-3 draw in Prague in which both teams scored twice in extra time, Copenhagen eventually prevailing 4-2 on penalties. They then edged past Polish champions Raków Częstochowa in the play-offs (1-0 a, 1-1 h).

Having let slip that two-goal lead late on to draw 2-2 at Galatasaray on Matchday 1, Copenhagen were then beaten 2-1 at home by Bayern and went down 1-0 at Manchester United in their third fixture – Jordan Larsson having a penalty saved with the last kick of the game. They turned the tables on the English club on Matchday 4 with a thrilling 4-3 comeback victory in Denmark before ending Bayern's record 17-match winning run in the group stage by grinding out a 0-0 draw in Munich.

That Matchday 4 win against United is one of only four in Copenhagen's last 17 European games (D8 L5). It was also their second victory in eight at home (D5 L1).

The Matchday 2 reverse against Bayern is one of just two losses in Copenhagen's last 11 home European matches (W3 D5), the other a 4-0 defeat by PSV Eindhoven in the 2021/22 UEFA Europa Conference League group stage.

That defeat by Bayern ended the Danish side's six-match unbeaten home run in Champions League group games, drawing five, since a 2-0 defeat against Real Madrid on Matchday 6 in 2013/14. Those are two of only three losses in their 18 games at Parken in the Champions League, group stage to final (W7 D8).

Copenhagen claimed their record-equalling 15th Danish league title, all since 1993, and their fifth in eight seasons in 2022/23. They also lifted the Danish Cup to win a sixth domestic double.

Galatasaray

Record vs Danish clubs: W2 D2 L1 F6 A4
Away record vs Danish clubs: W0 D1 L1

Aside from their three games against Copenhagen, Galatasaray have played only two matches against Danish opponents, edging past Randers in the 2021/22 UEFA Europa League qualifying play-offs (1-1 a, 2-1 h).

Galatasaray are making their 17th appearance in the Champions League group stage – as many as all the other Turkish clubs put together.

The Istanbul club last featured in 2019/20, when they finished fourth in their section on two points having failed to win a game (D2 L4).

Galatasaray are the only team from Türkiye to have reached a European Cup semi-final, in 1989.

Gala, who did not feature in UEFA competition in 2022/23, were beaten 7-2 on aggregate by PSV Eindhoven in the 2021/22 Champions League second qualifying round but went on to reach the Europa League round of 16, losing 2-1 against Barcelona over two legs.

Champions of Türkiye for a record 23rd time in 2022/23, finishing eight points clear of second-placed Fenerbahçe, Gala began this season with a 2-2 draw at Lithuanian side Žalgiris in the Champions League second qualifying round first leg. They progressed with a 1-0 home victory before easing past Olimpija Ljubljana of Slovenia in the third qualifying round (3-0 a, 1-0 h).

The Turkish team scored in added time to win both legs against Norwegian champions Molde in the play-offs, a 3-2 away triumph in which Norway midfielder Fredrik Midtsjø scored the last-gasp winner preceding a 2-1 home success with Angeliño getting the decisive goal.

Having kicked off the group stage with that 2-2 draw at home to Copenhagen Gala then won 3-2 at Manchester United before losing 3-1 at home and 2-1 away to Bayern. It looked set to be three successive defeats as they fell 0-2 and 1-3 behind at home to United last time out, but they battled back to earn a 3-3 draw.

The win in Manchester ended Gala's run of 12 Champions League group games without a victory (D4 L8) and was their first in the competition proper since a 3-0 home success against Lokomotiv Moskva in their opening game of the 2018/19 competition.

Before losing in Munich on Matchday 4, Galatasaray were unbeaten in ten away European games (W5 D5), since a 5-1 loss at PSV in the 2021/22 Champions League second qualifying round first leg.

Victory at Manchester United on Matchday 2 ended the Turkish team's 17-game winless away run in the Champions League, group stage to final (D3 L14), since a 3-2 success at Schalke in the 2012/13 round of 16 second leg.

Links and trivia

Galatasaray lifted the 2000 UEFA Cup with a 4-1 penalties victory against Arsenal at Copenhagen's home ground Parken after the final had finished goalless after 120 minutes.

Danish defender Victor Nelsson made 86 appearances in all competitions for Copenhagen between July 2019 and August 2021, when he signed for Galatasaray.

Nelsson came through the youth ranks at Nordsjælland, making 97 appearances between 2016 and joining Copenhagen in 2019. His record against Copenhagen with Nordsjælland was W3 D5 L2.

Copenhagen forward Andreas Cornelius scored Trabzonspor's first goal in a 2-2 draw against Galatasaray in the Turkish Super League on 12 September 2021.

Cornelius scored 20 goals in 49 appearances for Trabzonspor between 2021 and 2023.

Diogo Gonçalves hit a hat-trick in Benfica's 11-1 win at Galatasaray on Matchday 3 of the 2015/16 UEFA Youth League.

Khouma Babacar scored 18 goals in 45 appearances for Alanyaspor in all competitions between 2020 and January 2021, when he signed for Copenhagen. Three of those goals came at Galatasaray, all in 2020/21 – an equaliser in a 2-1 away league win on 19 October 2020 and two in a 3-2 victory in the Turkish Cup quarter-final on 10 February 2021.

Have played together:
Davit Khocholava & Tetê (Shakhtar Donetsk 2019–21)

International team-mates:
Nicolai Boilesen, Andreas Cornelius & Victor Nelsson (Denmark)

Galatasaray forward Dries Mertens scored one goal and set up the other in Belgium's 2-0 UEFA Nations League win away to Denmark at Copenhagen's Parken on 5 September 2020.

Copenhagen midfielder Viktor Claesson scored Sweden's second goal as the Scandinavian side let slip a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 at home to Türkiye in the Nations League on 10 September 2018.

Latest news

Copenhagen

Copenhagen's Matchday 4 win against Manchester United was the first for a Danish side in the UEFA Champions League group stage since their 2-0 victory at Club Brugge on 7 December 2016.

The Danish champions were 2-1 winners at Silkeborg on Saturday in the Danish Cup quarter-final second leg, ending a run of five games without a win in all competitions (D2 L3).

However, that was not enough to keep them in the competition after a 2-0 loss in the home first leg on 6 December.

Christian Sørensen scored Copenhagen's second goal, his first of the season.

After the Matchday 5 draw at Bayern, Copenhagen were beaten 2-1 at home by AGF in the Danish Superliga on 3 December Elias Achouri's second-half goal not enough after they had fallen two behind.

That was Copenhagen's third home league defeat of the season – as many as they suffered in the whole of 2022/23.

Jacob Neestrup's side have 33 points after 17 games, six more than at the same stage of last season.

Copenhagen were also beaten in their next game, going down 2-0 at home to Silkeborg; that made it successive home defeats for the second time this season; before being beaten by Midtjylland on 30 September (0-2) and Bayern three days later (1-2), Copenhagen had not lost consecutive home games since August 2014.

The 4-3 victory against Manchester United on Matchday 4 was Copenhagen's fourth in succession in all competitions; Saturday's success at Silkeborg was their first win since.

On 25 November Copenhagen suffered their first Danish Superliga defeat since 30 September, and third in all, going down 2-1 at Viborg despite Mohamed Elyounoussi giving them a half-time lead.

Copenhagen were 4-0 winners at home to Hvidovre on 28 October, Lukas Lerager opening the scoring after just 14 seconds – the fastest goal in Copenhagen's history.

Victor Claesson was also on target, his first league goal of the season. The Swedish international was Copenhagen's top Danish league scorer in 2022/23 with 13 goals; he has two in 13 games in the current campaign.

Roony Bardghji got the third goal and is Copenhagen's top scorer in the league in 2023/24 with seven.

Bardghji, who got the Matchday 4 winner against Manchester United and turned 18 on 15 November, is also Copenhagen's top scorer in all competitions this season with ten goals.

Elias Achouri has seven assists in this season's Superliga, two more than any other player.

Birger Meling was replaced shortly before half-time in a 2-1 win against Velje on 21 October after picking up a muscle injury and has not played since.

Davit Khocholava made his first appearance since 2 April in the 4-0 home win against Hvidovre on 28 October; the Georgian had been out with a knee injury. He has since undergone another operation that will keep him out until the new year.

William Clem suffered a fractured foot on 16 October and is not expected to play again in 2023.

On 6 September, Copenhagen announced that goalkeeper Kamil Grabara will join Wolfsburg in July 2024, although the German club also have the option to complete the move in January.

Galatasaray 

Galatasaray's record this season in all competitions is W19 D4 L3. They were 3-1 winners at home to Adana Demirspor on Friday.

Sacha Boey opened the scoring with his first league goal of the season and just his second in the league for Galatasaray on his 59th appearance. Kerem Aktürkoğlu was also on target, his fourth league goal of the season and a first since 16 September.

Mauro Icardi's added-time penalty sealed the win, only his second goal in his last eight Galatasaray games, although he has nevertheless got 12 of Galatasaray's 31 league goals in 2023/24 and has now registered 17 goals in 24 matches in all competitions this season.

The Argentinian scored in 12 successive starts for his club, running up 17 goals, before drawing a blank against Copenhagen on Matchday 1. He has scored in eight of his 15 appearances since, a total of nine goals.

The Turkish team were 2-0 winners at Pendikspor on 2 December, Hakim Ziyech following his Matchday 5 double against Manchester United with the second goal.

Substitute Cédric Bakambu had opened the scoring, his first league goal for Galatasaray on his seventh appearance.

Galatasaray's eight clean sheets and eight goals conceded after 14 league games was the best defensive record in the Turkish Super League since three points for a win was introduced in 1987/88.

The Istanbul club have kept 11 clean sheets in their 26 games in 2023/24.

Galatasaray have won 30 of their 35 away Super League matches in 2023 – their best ever performance in a single calendar year.

The Istanbul club were 4-0 winners at home to Alanyaspor on 25 November, Dries Mertens scoring twice for his first league goals since 18 April and Icardi and Wilfried Zaha also on target.

Gala suffered their first league loss of the campaign on 11 November, going down 2-1 at Hatayspor.

The Istanbul club's ten-match winning streak in the league ended at Hatayspor. It was the first league game Galatasaray had failed to win since a goalless draw at Kayserispor on 12 August, the opening weekend of the new Turkish season.

Galatasaray have won 17 of their last 22 matches in all competitions.

The defeat by Bayern on Matchday 3 ended Cimbom's 23-match unbeaten run, winning 20, since a 3-1 loss at Beşiktaş on 30 April. That was Galatasaray's only loss in their 22 league fixtures (W19 D2) before they were beaten at Hatayspor.

Davinson Sánchez has not played since going off late on against Alanyaspor with a hamstring injury.

Zaha and Abdülkerim Bardakcı both missed the win at Pendikspor; both returned on Friday, the former as a substitute.

*Subject to weekend updates