Galatasaray vs. Schalke, 2013 UEFA Champions League: Schalke earn important away draw

Schalke will be the happier of the two teams after stealing a 1-1 draw in Istanbul. Galatasaray were on the front foot for most of the match and had the much better of the chances, but Timo Hildebrand was excellent in goal for the visitors, while they did very well to finish off a fantastic chance on the counter at the end of the first half.

A poor giveaway in midfield led to Galatasaray’s opening goal, in the 12th minute. Selcuk Inan provided the assist with a chipped ball towards the edge of the box, which Benedikt Höwedes badly misplayed. The ball bounced to Burak Yilmaz, who finished calmly to tally his seventh goal in the competition.

Didier Drogba is making his full debut for Galatasaray, picking up his first start with his new club against Schalke. He made his first appearance over the weekend, scoring a goal as a substitute. He’ll partner Burak Yilmaz up top, with fellow new signing Wesley Sneijder sitting in behind the strikers. Galatasaray has played in a 4-4-2 formation with no serious frills or variations for most of this season, and will be making a slight change to accomodate Sneijder.

Schalke’s team is as expected, given their current injuries. Joel Matip and Marco Höger fill in along the back line, while Tranquillo Barnetta is the attacking midfield player who finds himself as the odd man out.

It’s been a rough winter for Schalke, who have descended into virtual irrelevance in Germany. They were one of the hottest teams in Europe back in fall, following their stunning away victories against Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund, but they’ve plunged down into ninth place. They don’t have a full-time manager, they sold Lewis Holtby in January without buying a direct replacement, and they’ve been unable to cope with injury problems.

Galatasaray injuries and suspensions