**Galatasaray captain Ilkay Gundogan paid an emotional tribute to the Manchester City faithful after his side were beaten on his return to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.**
Goals from Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki in the opening 30 minutes saw City establish and see out a monumental UEFA Champions League group-stage win and progress to the Round of 16, crucially avoiding the play-offs and further fixture congestion.
City have picked up consecutive wins as they recover from a slow start to 2026 that has raised questions over their prospects in the Premier League title race, though Arsenal seem to be very keen on handing favours to their rivals after slipping up again against Manchester United last week, helping the Blues cut their deficit to four points.
Guardiola will be delighted to secure direct qualification to the Round of 16 as Manchester City navigate the second half of a season wherein they are competing on four fronts amid an injury crisis in defence and attack.
[Jeremy Doku suffered a calf issue in the first-half against Galatasaray](https://cityxtra.co.uk/40865/pep-guardiola-issues-worrying-jeremy-doku-injury-update-ahead-of-tottenham-clash/) and is expected to be unavailable against Tottenham this weekend, with Savinho also doubtful. Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, John Stones and Mateo Kovacic remain on the sidelines.
City cannot look too far ahead though, and Guardiola will have the option of calling upon new signings Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi against Tottenham after the new signings were ineligible to feature in the UEFA Champions League against Galatasaray.
On a night wherein three points were an absolute must, City got the job done and while the Blues have more than a few gears they can step up, the victory is a step in the right direction as they enter a tricky run of games over the next fortnight.
Galatasaray skipper Ilkay Gundogan made am emotional return to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night, having spent eight seasons at City and captaining the club to their maiden UEFA Champions League title en route to a historic treble in 2023.
Though his side came up short against his former club on the night, Gundogan had nothing but kind words to reflect upon his return to England’s north-west. “Obviously very emotional, it’s a special place,” the German midfielder said in a post-match interview with [TNT Sports](https://www.tntsports.co.uk/).
“And to come here (to the Etihad Stadium) and to play football in general, it’s always a great feeling and to see a lot of familiar faces, seeing the Manchester City fans – really nice!”
“I swapped (shirts) with Bernardo Silva – a dear friend, someone that I shared a lot of special memories together, on and off the pitch at Manchester City. I think we’re both very happy.”
Silva could leave Manchester City when his contract expires at the end of the season and as was the case with Gundogan and Leroy Sane, the Portugal international will be warmly welcomed back by the Etihad Stadium faithful in the future – should he leave the club this summer.