First match was easy to Galatasaray against FC Copenhagen but tonight will not be easy for Turkish outfit in the Parken Stadium.

The Italian head coach has overseen two matches in the competition since being appointed in September as successor to Fatih Terim, who departed to manage Turkey.

Both have been hugely encouraging, with Galatasaray coming from behind to draw away to Juventus in the first and following up with a 3-1 home win over FC Copenhagen.

The results have taken the sting out of an opening 6-1 home defeat to Real Madrid, and leave the Turkish champions second in Group B, ahead not only of FC Copenhagen but also Italian giants Juventus.

Juventus have managed just two points so far and face Real Madrid on Tuesday night, when Galatasaray and FC Copenhagen resume their rivalry in the Danish capital.

Mancini’s Manchester City missed out on the last 16 in the last two seasons, so to achieve the feat at his new club would be an achievement to savour.

“It’s difficult to change a lot in five weeks,” Mancini said. “We need time. We’ve been working very hard.

“Although it seems that Juventus and Real Madrid are favourites in this group, we will try to get out of it.

“I have high expectations. We want to continue having good results.”

Galatasaray could build a five-point lead over Juventus by winning at the Parken stadium, but they will be without injured goalkeeper Fernando Muslera (broken toe) and midfielder Wesley Sneijder (thigh). Both suffered setbacks in the Super Lig match against Konyaspor on Friday.

Their Danish hosts have taken just one point from three games so far, meaning their hopes of reaching the last 16 are slight already.

They were swept aside in Istanbul by a rampant Galatasaray last time, with Mancini’s team building a three-goal lead by half-time. FC Copenhagen’s goal came as a very late consolation.

Head coach Stale Solbakken said on Monday: “Galatasaray were the better team in the first game but I’m 100% certain tomorrow’s will be a more normal and close match with few chances.

“They were on fire. I think most fans and others around the team believe the first half they played against us and the second half they played against Juventus were among the best they have played.

“It was more or less the first 20-25 minutes that killed us there.”

Solbakken revealed, in a colourful way, that how he sleeps before the match could influence his team selection.

“There will be a few changes, and it depends on whether I sleep on my stomach or on my back,” he said.

“Players could show up in my dream and score a goal, or they could make it a nightmare and smoke on the bench.”

FC Copenhagen vs Galatasaray UEFA Champions League Key Facts

The game will be a first revisit to Parken Stadium for Galatasaray, who won the 2000 UEFA Cup at that venue. The meeting could have been all the more emotional for the Lions if Fatih Terim, who was in the dugout 13 years ago, had retained his job. However, Terim’s third spell as the Galatasaray coach came to an abrupt end in September, meaning he would be deprived of a comeback to the Danish capital for another crucial match. Terim’s assistants Ümit Davala and Hasan Şaş, who were also players at the 2000 final match against Arsenal, also parted ways with Galatasaray after the veteran coach was sacked. However, coach Claudio Taffarel, a former goalkeeper, whose heroics against Arsenal became part of the Galatasaray folklore, is still a part of the club.

With Roberto Mancini at the helm, Galatasaray is not looking back, however, the Italian coach has serious injury concerns within his squad. Goalkeeper Fernando Muslera and attacker Wesley Sneijder will miss the trip to Copenhagen with a broken toe and a muscular injury respectively. The duo will also miss the weekend’s crucial derby clash against Fenerbahçe in the Spor Toto Super League.

Galatasaray will need a victory to make sure it is ahead of Juventus before the two teams meet in Istanbul later this month, but the Italian heavyweight is coming to the Real Madrid fixture with extra confidence off the back of three consecutive wins and as many clean sheets in Serie A.

However, Juve coach Antonio Conte has called on fans to give the Serie A champions an extra boost by offering Carlo Ancelotti’s Spanish giants a red-hot welcome to Turin.

“I hope the stadium will be a fiery cauldron on Tuesday night. The fans can help push us to victory,” Conte told JTV.

Given their lack of wins so far, Juve could certainly do with a boost.

Ousted from last year’s quarter-finals by eventual winners Bayern Munich, the Italians appeared down and out of this season’s competition following a 2-1 defeat to nine-time European champions Real three weeks ago.

That defeat, courtesy of a double from Portuguese striker Ronaldo, came in the wake of a confidence-sapping league reverse away to Fiorentina, who scored four second-half goals to stun the champions 4-2.

Undoubtedly helped by the fact that defender Giorgio Chiellini was sent off in somewhat harsh fashion shortly after the restart, the fact remains Juventus is in dire need of a win.

But three consecutive Serie A wins against Genoa, Catania and Parma – during which goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon kept a clean sheet – have boosted Juve’s resolve.

Midfielder Claudio Marchisio believes Juve, taking into account Chiellini’s sending-off, gave a good account of themselves at the Santiago Bernabeu.

And while he underlined the threat of Real Madrid’s Angel Di Maria, Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, he believes improvements to Juve’s defensive play could be decisive.

“Chiellini’s sending-off changed the game, but even when down to ten [men] we played an excellent game in terms of our attention and chances created,” said Marchisio.

“We have to do the same again on Tuesday but also look out for their threat on the counter-attack through the likes of Di Maria, Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, who all break with extreme pace.

“Real have plenty of strong players up front who sometimes help out less in defensive areas, so that puts their backline under pressure.

“We defended well in Spain, enjoyed possession and caused them problems.

“Plus, in Turin, we’ll be able to count on the support of our fans, who will create a red-hot atmosphere,” added Marchisio.

FC Copenhagen vs Galatasaray possible Line-ups

Possible starting lineups

Copenhagen: Wiland; Jacobsen, Bengtsson, Mellberg, Sigurdsson; Claudemir, Delaney, Gislason, Vetokele, Jorgensen; Braaten

Galatasaray: Muslera; Eboue, Chedjou, Kaya, Sarioglu; Inan, Sneijder, Melo, Bulut; Drogba, Yilmaz

[adrotate group=”16″]