Galatasaray and Astana eye third place

Galatasaray AŞ have a one-point advantage over FC Astana as the teams compete for third place in Group C and qualification for the UEFA Europa League. The Turkish side are favourites, although their opponents have drawn their last two games against the top two sides in the section.

• The matchday two contest between the teams featured three late own goals, two of them enabling Astana to record their first UEFA Champions League group stage point.

• Bilal Kisa gave the visitors the lead and in the final frantic 13 minutes first Hakan Balta, then Astana goalkeeper Nenad Erić and finally Lionel Carole put through their own net

• The clubs are more than sporting rivals: on 29 April 2014 in Astana, they signed a memorandum of cooperation, with the Kazakhstani team hoping to learn from Galatasaray's international experience.

Match background

Galatasaray
• The Turkish double winners, who are in their 14th group stage campaign and their fourth in succession, started with a 2-0 home defeat by Club Atlético de Madrid. After drawing at Astana, they beat Benfica 2-1 at home and lost by the same score away before another 2-0 loss to Atlético.

• At home in last season's group stage Galatasaray drew 1-1 with RSC Anderlecht, before losing heavily to Borussia Dortmund (0-4) and Arsenal FC (1-4) to finish bottom of Group D.

• Galatasaray's only fixture against Kazakhstani opponents before this season was a 2009/10 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round tie. Frank Rijkaard's men, including current squad members Sabri Sarıoğlu and Hakan Balta, beat FC Tobol Kostanay 2-0 at home after a 1-1 away draw. 

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

• They have lost only six of their last 23 European home matches.

Astana
• The first ever representatives from Kazakhstan to reach the UEFA Champions League group stage lost 2-0 at Benfica on matchday one. On matchday three Astana went down 4-0 at Atlético before drawing 0-0 at home. Last time out they drew 2-2 at home to Benfica.

• In qualifying, Stanimir Stoilov's side recorded two draws and a defeat away from home; they won all three home matches.

Coach and player links
• Burak Yılmaz scored twice for Turkey – who featured Selçuk İnan, Hakan, Sabri, Semih Kaya and Umut Bulut – in a 3-1 victory over a Kazakhstan side containing Aleksei Schetkin, Abzal Beysebekov, Dmitri Shomko and Dzholchiyev, in a UEFA EURO 2016 qualifier at the Ali Sami Yen stadium on 16 November 2014.

• Burak also got the opening goal in Turkey's 2-1 win over Kazakhstan in a UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier in Istanbul on 2 September 2011. Selçuk was sent off in the last minute.

• Stoilov captained PFC Levski Sofia in a 2001/02 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie against Galatasaray, who triumphed 2-1 in Turkey before a 1-1 draw away.

• Stoilov also played for Fenerbahçe SK in 1992/93 and faced their Istanbul rivals on two occasions, scoring against them on his debut in a pre-season tournament as the Yellow Canaries lost 3-2.

• Lukas Podolski scored Germany's final goal in their 3-0 away success over Kazakhstan in a UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier at the Astana Arena on 12 October 2010.

Match facts

Galatasaray
• Selçuk and Burak are available after serving one-game bans on matchday five. Olcan Adın is a booking away from suspension.

• Galatasaray's 3-0 win against Bursaspor on 4 December ended a five-game winless run (D2 L3) in all competitions.

• It was the first win of Mustafa Denizli's third spell as Cimbom coach; Galatasaray drew 2-2 at Kasımpaşa SK on 29 November in his first game back in charge.

• Hakan scored his first goal of the season against Kasımpaşa.

• Hamit Altıntop has resumed training, having undergone a left knee operation in early August. Carole (out since 25 October, hamstring) is still injured.

• Jason Denayer will be out for a month with the calf injury he sustained on matchday five.

Astana
• Dzholchiyev served a one-match suspension against Benfica last time out. Georgi Zhukov will incur a ban with his next booking.

• Astana retained the Kazakh Premier League title after a 1-0 victory – secured by substitute Junior Kabananga's 87th-minute goal – against FK Aktobe on 8 November. Stoilov's team finished a point ahead of Kairat Almaty.

• Kairat got partial revenge by defeating Astana 2-1 in the Kazakh Cup final on 21 November.

• Foxi Kéthévoama was voted Astana's player of the season by the club's fans, while Zhukov was named best young player in the Kazakh top flight in a poll of his fellow professionals.

• Astana travelled to Turkey on 30 November to prepare for this game.