Schalke’s matchwinner at Lokomotiv Moscow, Weston McKennie will look to ensure the Royal Blues three more points in the UEFA Champions League at Galatasaray on Wednesday (kick-off: 9pm CEST/8pm BST/3pm ET).
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Schalke are currently joint-top of Group D with Porto thanks to McKennie’s late winner in Moscow on Matchday 2. The Gelsenkirchen club’s domestic form has been less consistent, seeing them lose 2-0 at home to Werder Bremen on Saturday evening. Domenico Tedesco’s side were dealt a blow before that game when captain and goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann pulled out of the warm-up with a thigh injury. He is now not expected to travel to Istanbul, meaning Alexander Nübel is set to make his Champions League debut in goal fresh from his first first-team start.
The Turkish champions again sit top of the Süper Lig after eight games, but find themselves a point behind Schalke in this group after following their opening 3-0 win over Lokomotiv with a 1-0 loss at Porto. Midfielder Younes Belhanda spent half a season on loan in Gelsenkirchen in 2016, while Erin Derdiyok is also a familiar face to Bundesliga fans after spells at Bayer Leverkusen and Hoffenheim.
Watch: McKennie continued his goalscoring form against Fortuna Düsseldorf
Probable line-ups
Galatasaray: Muslera – Mariano, Donk, Maicon, Nagatomo – N’Diaye, Inan (c), Belhanda – Onyekuru, Gumus, Rodrigues
Absentees: Aziz (groin), Feghouli (muscle), Fernando (muscle)
Coach: Fatih Terim
Schalke: Nübel – Caligiuri, Naldo (c), Sane, Mendyl – Mascarell, Rudy, McKennie – Uth, Embolo, Konoplyanka
Absentees: Fährmann (thigh), Oczipka (groin), Skrzybski (hamstring), Teuchert (thigh)
Coach: Domenico Tedesco
Match stats
- These sides have met twice before in the 2012/13 Champions League last 16. Fährmann is the only member of the current Schalke squad who was involved back then.
- Schalke have won their last three away Champions League fixtures, including a remarkable 4-3 success at Real Madrid in the 2014/15 round of 16 second leg.
- The Royal Blues have never lost a competitive match in Turkey (D3).
- McKennie’s goal in Moscow was his first in senior club football. He netted his first in the Bundesliga the following outing against Fortuna Düsseldorf.
- Galatasaray have failed to win any of their last seven home games against German opposition (D4, L3). The last was a 4-0 thrashing by Borussia Dortmund in October 2014.
- The Istanbul club have won just two of their last 10 continental fixtures on home turf.
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