Galatasaray vs Chelsea - Predicted line-ups & stats preview

Chelsea travel to Turkey on Wednesday, looking to return home with one foot in through the door to the Champions League quarter finals. Jose Mourinho’s side take on a Galatasaray side that include former transfer target Wesley Sneijder, former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini and – of course – former Chelsea legend Didier Drogba.

Team News

Galatasaray

Galatasaray’s side should feature a few new faces from the group stage, after a busy January for Roberto Mancini. Alex Telles could line up in central defence after January move from Gremio, while right back Veysel Sari could line up having made the switch from fellow Turkish side Eskisehirspor.

Chelsea

January signings Nemanja Matic and Mohamed Salah are both cup tied for the visitors, meaning manager Jose Mourinho will be forced into making at least one change to the side that beat Everton at the weekend.

Both David Luiz and John Obi Mikel are fit to feature, having missed the Everton game through injury, whilst Oscar has also travelled with the squad, despite an ankle injury forcing him off at half time at the weekend.

Predicted Line-Ups

Galatasaray:

Chelsea

Mourinho’s back five picks itself at the moment, while it would be a surprise to see anyone other than Samuel Eto’o leading the line for Mourinho’s men. However, the Portuguese boss does have some decisions to make in midfield areas.

While Oscar is fit enough to play, he has not been in particularly good form recently and Mourinho may elect to start him from the bench. This could mean a start for Andre Shurrle alongside Willian and Eden Hazard, although Mourinho could also choose defensive solidity and play Ramires in a more advanced position.

The absence of Matic opens up a space in the centre of midfield. Should Ramires not start further forward then he is likely to fill one of the holding midfield slots alongside Frank Lampard, who should edge of Luiz and Mikel due to the big game experience that he can take to Istanbul.

Recent Form

Chelsea won their group fairly comfortably, despite home and away defeats to Basel. Mourinho’s men won their other four fixtures, without conceding a single goal.

Galtasaray, on the other hand, scraped through the last 16 by the skin of their teeth. The Turkish side beat Juventus 1-0, in a fixture that was paused overnight due to snow, to pip the Turin giants to the second qualifying spot from their group behind Real Madrid.

The Turkish side qualified with just seven points, having secured two wins, one draw and three defeats.

Player To Watch

Galatasaray – Didier Drogba

All eyes will be on one man as far as Chelsea fans are concerned, with Didier Drogba set to line up against his old side for the first time. The 35-year-old is likely to be the home side’s main threat and scored two goals during the group stages, also having contributed three assists.

This means that he was directly involved in 62.5% of the Turkish club’s eight group-stage strikes, finishing as the side’s highest chance creator and second highest scorer.

Chelsea – John Terry

The man set to be tasked with marking his former teammate Drogba, John Terry could be the key man for Chelsea. If Chelsea can return from Istanbul with a clean sheet, they will fancy themselves to progress smoothly in the home leg. Terry is set to line up alongside Gary Cahill at the heart of the Chelsea defence, with the pair integral to the away side’s clean sheet hopes.

Prediction:

Mourinho’s style of play means that this is unlikely to be a high scoring classic. With the home leg still to come, and in a hostile arena, Chelsea may well concentrate on doing a professional job in Istanbul and instead win the tie at home. Mourinho’s men should have too much for their Turkish opponents, despite the presence of Drogba, and if they can survive what could be a high-octane opening in a cauldron like atmosphere, they can secure the win.

Galatasaray 0 – 1 Chelsea