Background: Galatasaray kick off with Atlético visit

Galatasaray AŞ embark on a fourth successive UEFA Champions League group campaign with a home game against Club Atlético de Madrid who compete in the competition for a third year in a row – the first time they have achieved that feat.

Previous meetings

• Galatasaray have lost both previous home games with Atletico: 2-1 in the 2009/10 UEFA Cup round of 32 (2-3 on aggregate) and 1-0 after extra time in the 1973/74 European Cup first round, also losing 1-0 on aggregate.

• In the more recent game, substitute Diego Forlán struck a 90th-minute winner for the visitors after Simão's opener had been cancelled out by Kader Keïta.

• The lineups in the Ali Sami Yen stadium on 25 February 2010 were:
Galatasaray: Leo Franco, Uğur Uçar, Elano (Ayhan Akman 50), Arda Turan, Keïta, Neill, Mehmet Topal, Mustafa Sarp (Dos Santos 90), Hakan Balta, Servet Çetin, Caner Erkin.
Atlético: Sergio Asenjo, Valera, Antonio López, Raúl García, Jurado (Camacho 90+4), Agüero (Forlán 42), Paulo Assunção, Ujfaluši, Reyes (Salvio 90+2), Simão, Perea.

• Hakan Balta played in both legs of the tie while Sabri Sarıoğlu and Emre Çolak also remain in the Galatasaray squad.

Match background

Galatasaray
• The Turkish double winners are in their 14th group stage campaign and their fourth in succession. They missed out in the five seasons before 2012/13.

• At home in last season's group stage Galatasaray drew 1-1 with RSC Anderlecht, followed by a 4-0 defeat against Borussia Dortmund. They also lost 4-1 at home to Arsenal FC to finish bottom of Group D.

• That matchday six reverse stretched the Turkish team's winless European run to eight matches, although they have lost only five of their last 21 European home matches.

• Cimbom's best performance came in 1988/89 when they reached the European Champion Clubs' Cup semi-finals.

• The 3-2 defeat of Real Madrid CF in the 2012/13 quarter-final second leg (3-5 overall) ended Galatasaray's 12-game winless run against Spanish sides (4D 4L) stretching back to another 3-2 success against the Merengues in the 2000/01 quarter-final (another 3-5 aggregate defeat).

• Their record against Liga opponents is W8 D6 L15 (W6 D2 L6 at home).

Atlético
• The 2014 beaten finalists, who finished third in the Liga last season, are in their sixth group stage campaign.

• They have lost just one of their last six European group away games, going down 3-2 at Olympiacos FC on matchday one last season.

• The Rojiblancos took four points from their other two group away games in 2014/15 and lost their round of 16 away leg 1-0 at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, eventually going through on penalties after the same score at home. They lost 1-0 at Real Madrid and on aggregate in the quarter-finals.

• Atlético have lost just one of their 12 fixtures against Turkish sides, 1-0 at MKE Ankaragücü in the 1999/2000 UEFA Cup first round second leg having won 3-0 at home; in Turkey their record is W5 D0 L1.

Coach and player links
• While with SS Lazio, Diego Simeone lost 1-0 to Galatasaray in the 2001/02 first group stage.

• Galatasaray signed José Rodriguez from Atlético's city rivals Madrid in 2014; he spent last season on loan at RC Deportivo La Coruña.

• Wesley Sneijder (2007–09) and Hamit Altıntop (2011/12) have had spells at Real Madrid.

• Have played together:
Diego Godín & Fernando Muslera (CD Nacional, 2006/07)
Godín, Giménez & Muslera (Uruguay)
Óliver & José Rodriguez (Spain Under-21)
Ferreira-Carrasco & Denayer (Belgium Under-21)

Match facts

Galatasaray
• Lukas Podolski scored his second of the campaign as Galatasaray drew 1-1 with Mersin İdman Yurdu.

• Podolski also scored the equaliser on his Galatasaray debut as Cimbom recovered from two down to draw 2-2 at Sivasspor on the opening day of the Süper Lig season.

• Galatasaray lost at home for the first time since 22 January when Osmanlıspor FK triumphed 2-1 in Istanbul on 24 August.

Atletico
• Atlético kept a clean sheet in each of their opening two Liga victories before losing 2-1 to FC Barcelona on Saturday.

• Stefan Savić opened the scoring with his first goal for club or country since 2 November as Montenegro recorded a 2-0 win away to Moldova in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying on 8 September.

• Ángel Correa came off the bench to score on his Argentina debut, a 7-0 defeat of Bolivia, on 4 September.