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Come Fan with UsTuesday, June 30, 2026

Galatasaray vs. Chelsea: Preview and TV schedule

Chelsea face a tough trip to Istanbul for the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie.

Scott Heavey

Chelsea go head-to-head with their old friend Didier Drogba on Wednesday night, as the striker that scored the Champions League-winning penalty for the Blues back in 2012 prepares to meet them on the opposing side. He's part of a Galatasaray team that shouldn't make life easy for the Blues, though there's no doubt that José Mourinho's outfit are favourites.

Galatasaray aren't having the greatest season domestically, currently sat four points in arrears of big rivals Fenerbahçe in the Süper Lig table. They may boast star players like Drogba and Wesley Sneijder, but they're still not in Chelsea's class. That makes it all the more important that they maximise home advantage in the intimidating Istanbul atmosphere, as well as taking advantage of Chelsea's cup-tied players.

Nemanja Matić is their biggest absentee, with the former Benfica midfielder unavailable after turning out in this competition earlier in the season. The same is true of ex-Basel winger Mohamed Salah, while Marco van Ginkel is still out injured. There were pre-match doubts over the fitness of John Obi Mikel, David Luiz and Oscar, though unfortunately for Roberto Mancini's side, all three have made the trip.

In better news, the former Manchester City manager has only one player definitely unavailable. That's Aydın Yılmaz, who's out with a broken leg.

Galatasaray injuries and suspensions

Out: Aydın Yılmaz (broken leg). In doubt: None.

Chelsea injuries and suspensions

Out: Marco van Ginkel (knee), Mohamed Salah (cup-tied), Nemanja Matić (cup-tied). In doubt: None.

Projected lineups

Galatasaray: Fernando Muslera; Hakan Balta, Aurélien Chedjou, Semih Kaya, Emmanuel Eboué; Felipe Melo, Selçuk İnan; Umut Bulut, Wesley Sneijder, Burak Yılmaz; Didier Drogba.

Chelsea: Petr Čech; César Azpilicueta, John Terry, Gary Cahill, Branislav Ivanović; Ramires, John Obi Mikel, Frank Lampard; Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto'o, Willian.

Match Date/Time: Wednesday, 9:45 p.m. local, 2:45 p.m. ET

Venue: Türk Telekom Arena, Istanbul, Turkey

TV: Fox Sports 1 (U.S.), Sky Sports 1/HD (U.K.), Dsmart Isteizle Live, Smart Spor (Turkey)

Online: Fox Soccer 2Go (U.S.), Sportsnet World Online (Canada), Sky Sports Events Centre (U.K.)

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