Doku assists twice, Haaland ends his scoring drought, Çelik scores; Manchester City beats Galatasaray 2-0 to secure exactly eighth place.

At 4 a.m. Beijing time on January 29, in the concluding match of the Champions League group stage's 8th round, Manchester City faced Galatasaray, the leaders of the Turkish Super League, at home.

In the first half, Doku’s precise through ball allowed Haaland to break his long-standing open-play goal drought with a composed chip finish; shortly after, Doku’s back-heel assist set up Çelik for an easy finish to double the lead. Doku, who had provided two assists by the 37th minute, was forced off injured and replaced by Foden. Manchester City led 2-0 at halftime; the second half saw no further goals from either side.

In the end, Manchester City defeated Galatasaray 2-0, narrowly securing the eighth spot in the Champions League group stage and advancing directly to the Round of 16, while Galatasaray ranked 20th and must compete in the knockout playoffs.

In the 8th round of the Champions League, Real Madrid lost 2-4 away to Benfica, and Paris Saint-Germain drew 1-1 at home against Newcastle. These results helped Guardiola’s side, allowing Manchester City to edge Real Madrid by one point and qualify directly for the knockout stage, making for a thrilling advancement.

In the crucial Champions League battle for eighth place between Manchester City and Galatasaray, with new winter transfer arrivals featuring,Guardiola deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation, positioning Haaland upfront, supported by Marmoush behind him, with Çelik and Doku on the wings. Bernardo Silva and O’Reilly partnered in defensive midfield, while Nunes, Hüsmanov, Aké, and Nuri formed the back four, with Donnarumma in goal. The starting lineup's market value totaled €623 million.Galatasaray also lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Sané and Gündoğan both starting against their former club. Their starting lineup’s market value was €207 million.

This match was still tough for Manchester City. Due to regulations, Gvardiol was unavailable, so Guardiola prioritized stability by starting Aké instead of the error-prone newcomer Aléne. Fortunately, Doku provided two assists in the 10th and 29th minutes, helping Haaland score a one-on-one goal and Çelik finish unmarked inside the box. Doku then left injured before halftime. Ultimately, Manchester City won 2-0, finishing eighth in the Champions League group stage and advancing directly to the Round of 16!

Throughout the game, possession was evenly split, showing Manchester City’s cautious approach—some might call it defensive—but it worked effectively. City had 10 shots with 5 on target; Galatasaray had 4 shots all on target. The victory was hard-earned! The result means City avoids playing two playoff matches in February; otherwise, with 5 Premier League games, 1 FA Cup, and 1 League Cup match in that month, they would face 9 matches in 28 days, exhausting the squad. Playing only 7 matches greatly reduces player fatigue.