Don't let names fool you - midnight is a perfect time for a major UCL upset

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The first one is the string of Manchester United's recent results. The below one belongs to Galatasaray.

And although the Turkish Super League is far behind the English Premier League, the current form goes beyond rational conclusions and comparisons. Therefore, it becomes irrelevant which one had a bigger challenge the previous weekend because once they collide on the Old Trafford turf on Tuesday night in the Champions League, those 90 minutes will be the only thing that counts.

United's agony continues on a pouring rain, flawless Arsenal keep marching

And that's precisely why we shouldn't write off the Turkish giants ahead of this clash that promises plenty of action and anything but a one-sided plot.

Following an excruciating loss to Crystal Palace on Saturday, Erik ten Hag and his boys are desperate to win and save both the gaffer and the season that seems to be slipping through their fingers. Moreover, that opening UCL defeat at Bayern Munich piled more pressure on an already shaken side, and now the victory against Galata is obligatory.

The Dutch tactician is well aware of that, just like the lengthy injury list that makes it difficult for him to line up the best possible team. And they need this one, along with an uplifting performance as well. They need to produce something that energises the crowd and gives them confidence that their slow start to the season is behind them.

Ahead of tonight's clash, Ten Hag said:

"In the Champions League, you face the best teams across Europe, the best managers, in the best stadiums. For the players, they face the best players, and [as a team] you are in a better league schedule, which is also important.

"It's very important for the rebuild of this club that we are in the Champions League. The players know they want to be in the Champions League, they want to be at the top of the Premier League.

"We fight for every position, and, on the pitch, we fight for every yard, every duel because that is the meaning of top football."

On the other end, Galata counts on the likes of Dries Mertens, Mauro Icardi and United's former forward Wilfried Zaha. It promises a whole lot of firepower and danger for a cracked United's defence. The latter will also be motivated to show he deserved much more than just four appearances for the Red Devils during his two-year spell with the club between 2013 and 2015.

The last Sir Alex Ferguson signing says he doesn't regret anything or almost anything...

"There is one thing I do regret because I didn't push my personality," Zaha said.

"Because I'd never moved from Croydon, I'd never gone anywhere, all of a sudden I'm in Manchester, I'm feeling homesick at times, I did not put how I play and my personality across at all. I was literally a shadow of myself.

"I can say maybe it came at the wrong time, I was not mature enough. But at the same time, the way the manager wanted me to play, I wanted him to trust me, so then I kind of lost my identity as well because I stopped doing skills, and then it's like, 'who am I if I don't do skills'. It's a bit of both really, I'm a bit on the fence with that," concluded the Ivorian attacker.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 2

Tuesday

19:45: (1.85) Union Berlin (3.60) Braga (4.80)

19:45: (2.85) Salzburg (3.35) Sociedad (2.65)

22:00: (15.0) Copenhagen (6.75) Bayern (1.23)

22:00: (1.50) Man.Utd. (4.50) Galatasaray (7.25)

22:00: (6.00) Lens (4.00) Arsenal (1.65)

22:00: (2.00) PSV (3.60) Sevilla (4.10)

22:00: (2.60) Napoli (3.50) Real Madrid (2.85)

22:00: (1.83) Inter (3.70) Benfica (4.80)

Wednesday

19:45: (1.63) Atl.Madrid (4.00) Feyenoord (6.25)

19:45: (1.90) Antwerp (3.70) Shakhtar (4.40)

22:00: (3.00) Celtic (3.50) Lazio (2.45)

22:00: (2.40) Dortmund (3.50) Milan (3.05)

22:00: (2.50) Newcastle (3.60) PSG (2.90)

22:00: (2.20) Crvena Zvezda (3.50) Young Boys (3.45)

22:00: (5.40) RB Leipzig (4.10) Man.City (1.67)

22:00: (4.20) Porto (3.60) Barcelona (1.95)

***odds are subject to change***