(Football news) Although Okan Buruk’s team finished third in their Champions League group, their Czech opponents finished second in Group C of the Europa League, preventing them from qualifying directly for the round of sixteen.
Galatasaray, a regular fixture at Europe’s top table for the previous ten years, had to overcome three two-leg qualifying matches to even advance to the 2023–24 Champions League group stage, where Copenhagen was waiting along with two titans in the shape of Bayern Munich and Manchester United.
Taking four points from their two fixtures with the sub-par Red Devils put Buruk’s men firmly in contention for a ticket to the knockouts as they headed into the final matchweek level on points with Copenhagen, but a 1-0 loss on Danish soil condemned the Turkish Super Lig powerhouses to a shot at glory in the continent’s secondary competition.
One-time winners of the UEFA Cup back in the 1999-2000 edition, where they got the better of Arsenal in the final, each of Galatasaray’s last five attempts to progress from the Champions League group stage have now ended in failure, and they have not made it past the last 16 of the Europa League since its rebranding.
In all but one of their Champions League group matches, Buruk’s team both found the back of the net while failing to keep the opposition out – the aberration being their blank in the one-goal loss to Copenhagen – but that Scandinavian suffering represents their last loss in any tournament.
Indeed, Thursday’s hosts have since been largely irrepressible in domestic action, winning each of their eight fixtures across Super Lig and Turkish Cup action, strolling past Istanbul Basaksehir 2-0 on Saturday to open up a two-point lead over Fenerbahce at the top of the table.
Sparta Prague’s chances of qualifying for the knockout stages were heavily stacked against them after Galatasaray’s convincing win over Basaksehir marked their ninth straight home victory as the Turkish Super Lig leaders.
Initially, the Reds were expected to play in the Europa Conference League during the second half of the season after joining Rangers, Real Betis, and Aris Limassol in an exciting Group C of the Europa League. However, after defeating Betis and Aris back-to-back in the final two gameweeks, Sparta defeated the Spanish team by one point to secure the second place.
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