"This isn’t even football", "Playing water polo" - Manchester United fans slam the state of Galatasary's pitch ahead of UCL clash
Manchester United fans think tonight's (November 29) UEFA Champions League crunch clash with Galatasary should be postponed due to the state of the pitch.
The Red Devils know that defeat to the Turkish giants at RAMS Park will spell the end of their Champions League campaign. Erik ten Hag's men face an enormous task, in a stadium that will be made a cauldron by the home fans.
'Welcome to hell' is the banner that Galatasary fans hoist up during battle but the pitch at RAMS Park is enduring more of a hailstorm. The two European clubs' U19 sides have been competing on a waterlogged Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stadium pitch in the UEFA Youth League.
However, it's been a dismal affair with both sets of players having difficulties with the conditions. It's led to fans calling for tonight's game in Istanbul to be called off.
Despite this, the Champions League encounter between Manchester United and Galatasaray isn't at risk of being called off. The downpour in Istanbul could be an omen of what's to come for Ten Hag's Reds.
One fan gave a grim verdict of the UEFA Youth League game when reacting to a clip of the conditions:
"This is ridiculous this isn’t even football."
Another fan reckons the players will be playing a different sport:
"They playing water polo out there."
Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to the questionable conditions for tonight's Champions League game:
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is confident his side can beat Galatasaray
Ten Hag reckons his Manchester United side can deal with the pressure at RAMS Park and get their Champions League campaign back on track. Their only win of their European campaign came at home to FC Copenhagen in a 1-0 win. He said (via BBC Sport):
"We know we can [win away in Europe] and we are confident. The last games away from home in the league were also very hostile environments. We played very well. We were very calm and composed."
Manchester United suffered a 4-3 away defeat to Copenhagen last time out. They played the majority of the game with 10 men after Marcus Rashford was sent off.
Rashford will serve a one-game ban for tonight's game with his side in dire need of a win. They sit bottom of Group A, with three points from four games but are just a point behind third-placed Galatasaray.
The Red Devils have enjoyed an upturn in form and are the Premier League's in-form team. They have won four of their last five league games.