The match in Istanbul ended with a draw, and now there is the fate-setting duel in Gelsenkirchen.
Schalke and Galatasaray played a promising match on Matchday 3, but were unable to score any goals. The return leg in Group D should indicate where both teams are heading. After the zero number in Istanbul, Schalke have five points to their credit, one point ahead of the Turks, but two points behind leaders Porto. Lokomotiv has lost all three games and would be eliminated with another defeat if there is a winner in the Arena of Schalke. If Moscow draws Porto and Schalke wins, Lokomotiv would not have a chance to reach the round of the sixteen either.
Previous matches
The penultimate encounter ended with a triumph for Galatasaray. The Istanbul club made it to the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League eighth-finals thanks to a strong away performance. After a 1-1 win in Turkey, Fatih Terim's team won 3-2 in Gelsenkirchen and moved into the final eight. Umut Bulut marked the winning goal deep in injury time. However, Galatasaray's subsequent defeat of Real Madrid was their final destination.
Selçuk İnan scored three of Galatasaray's four goals in the first and second legs. Fernando Muslera also played in both games.
Background
Schalke
At the start of Group D, Königsblau did not manage to beat Porto 1-1 at home. A Weston McKennie goal in the 88th minute gave Schalke a 1-0 win over Lokomotiv Moskva on the second matchday.
Schalke won only one of the last six UEFA Champions League games in front of their own audience (2U, 3N). During this period, they conceded 18 goals.
However, Schalke is undefeated in seven European Cup home games (4S, 3U).
The German runners-up of the 2017/18 season - the best squire placement since 2009/10 - is back in the group stage of the premier league for the first time since 2014/15.
Last season Schalke did not play internationally, in the 2016/17 season S04 was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League against the later finalist Ajax.
In 2011 Schalke reached the semi-finals of the premier class, the next three attempts in the UEFA Champions League all ended in the round of 16.
Although Schalke lost to Galatasaray in 2013, the two previous home games against Turkish clubs were won without conceding a goal.
Galatasaray
The group stage began with a 3-0 home win over Lokomotiv Moskva and Galatasaray's second matchday away win 1-0 against Porto.
The last five away games in the European Cup were all lost (10 of the last 12, 2U). Schalke's last international away win was in the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League Round of 16, and they have been waiting for a win on a foreign pitch for 14 games (2U, 14N).
Galatasaray have won four of the last seven away games against German clubs (1U, 2N). In the last guest match against a team from the Bundesliga, Dortmund won 1:4 in the group phase 2014/15.
The Turkish 2017/18 champions were last in the 2013/14 season in the round of sixteen.
Galatasaray is in the group stage for the 15th time. If you add up all the participations of all the other Turkish clubs, you also get 15.
The 2017/18 European Cup season came to an early end for Galatasaray. The Istanbul club failed 3-1 in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League against Sweden's Östersund in the first and second legs.
Galatasaray is the only team from Turkey to ever make it to the semi-finals of the premier league (1989).
My perdiction
FC Schalke becomes stronger and stronger in the last weeks, the team have found his spirit, they began to play well together and also in the Bundesliga they could count with a win. Galatasaray is stricken, they have injured key players, the team is out of performance and after a draw at the derby last weekend, they lost some motivation. I, as a Galatasaray want surely that they win, but we must be honest, it seems very difficult for the lions. I think Schalke will make the game and will win a deserved match.
Or we will witness a surprise...
You can read this article also on my Scorum Blog
