İstanbul Başakşehir v Borussia Mönchengladbach facts

İstanbul Başakşehir and Borussia Mönchengladbach, who meet for the first time, already have ground to make up in Group J after suffering 4-0 defeats in their opening matches.

• The Turkish side fell to their heaviest European loss as Roma overpowered them in the Italian capital, while Mönchengladbach succumbed to their biggest home defeat in UEFA competition in a shock reverse against Austrian group stage debutants Wolfsberg.

Previous meetings
• İstanbul Başakşehir's only past matches against German opposition took place in the 2017/18 UEFA Europa League group stage, a 3-1 defeat in Hoffenheim followed by a 1-1 draw at home salvaged by Edin Višća's added-time equaliser.

• Likewise, Gladbach have only faced Turkish opponents twice before, losing 2-4 at home to Fenerbahçe in the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League group stage but winning the return 3-0 in Istanbul on matchday six to join their already-qualified hosts in the round of 32.

Form guide
İstanbul Başakşehir
• This is İstanbul Başakşehir's fifth successive European campaign, having made their UEFA competition bow in 2015/16. They ensured a return this term by finishing second to Galatasaray in a closely fought Süper Lig title race.

• Home (0-1) and away (0-2) defeats by Olympiacos in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round put İstanbul Başakşehir into the UEFA Europa League group stage for the second time. Their previous campaign, in 2017/18, ended after six matches as their tally of eight points left them in third place behind Braga and Ludogorets.

• The Istanbul club have won just two of their ten European home fixtures (D4 L4), scoring eight goals and none in the last two. They are undefeated at home, however, in the UEFA Europa League group stage (W1 D2).

Mönchengladbach
• A fifth-placed finish in the 2018/19 German Bundesliga booked a starting berth for Mönchengladbach in the UEFA Europa League group stage, returning the club to European competition after a two-season absence.

• Gladbach qualified from both of their previous UEFA Europa League groups, in 2012/13 and 2014/15, before going out each time in the round of 32. Having crossed over from the UEFA Champions League midway through the 2016/17 season, they made it third time lucky in that round with a spectacular comeback against Fiorentina (0-1 h, 4-2 a) before going out on away goals in an all-German round of 16 tie with Schalke (1-1 a, 2-2 h).

• The Foals are unbeaten in six away matches in the UEFA Europa League group stage (W2 D4). Their last European away win was that 4-2 success at Fiorentina.

Links and trivia 
• Fredrik Gulbrandsen (İstanbul Başakşehir) and Stefan Lainer (Mönchengladbach) played together for the last three seasons at Austrian champions Salzburg, reaching the UEFA Europa League semi-finals in 2017/18.

• Júnior Caiçara (İstanbul Başakşehir) and Breel Embolo (Gladbach) are former Schalke team-mates.

• Other İstanbul Başakşehir players who have played in Germany are Danijel Aleksić (Greuther Fürth), Eljero Elia (Hamburg, Werder Bremen), Berkay Özcan (Stuttgart, Hamburg) and Demba Ba (Hoffenheim).

• Ba scored three goals for Hoffenheim against Mönchengladbach, all in victories – two in the Bundesliga, one in the German Cup.

• İstanbul Başakşehir's Arda Turan scored a hat-trick in Barcelona's 4-0 home win against Mönchengladbach in the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League group stage, having also got the Catalan club's equaliser in the earlier 2-1 victory in Germany.

The coaches
• A former midfielder who spent most of his playing career at Galatasaray, with whom he won seven Turkish league titles plus the UEFA Cup/UEFA Super Cup double in 2000, Okan Buruk also helped Turkey to third place at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. İstanbul Başakşehir became his seventh club in as many seasons as a coach when he succeeded Beşiktaş-bound Abdullah Avcı in the summer of 2019. His profile had risen considerably a year earlier when he led unheralded Akhisar Belediyespor to Turkish Cup success with a 3-2 final victory against Fenerbahçe.

• Marco Rose replaced Dieter Hecking as Mönchengladbach's new head coach for the 2019/20 season. He arrived as an Austrian double winner and two-time champion with Salzburg, having also led the club to victory in the 2016/17 UEFA Youth League. A defender with home-town club VfB Leipzig, Hannover and Mainz, he spent six years on Salzburg's coaching staff and masterminded a run to the 2017/18 UEFA Europa League semi-finals during his debut campaign as head coach. Last season he led Salzburg into the round of 16.