RB Leipzig vs Istanbul Basaksehir UEFA Champions League Match Preview or Key Statistics 📊
This is the first ever European meeting between RB Leipzig and istanbul Basaksehir. RB Leipzig's two previous European meetings with Turkish opposition was in the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League group stage, losing both matches against Besiktas.
Istanbul Basaksehir faced German opponents in the UEFA Europa League in 2017/18 (D1 L1 vs Hoffenheim) and 2019/20 (W1 D1 vs Borussia Monchengladbach), their only previous meetings with German sides.
RB Leipzig reached the UEFA Champions League semi-finals last season in what was only their second-ever participation in the tournament.
They also finished top of their group, winning three and drawing two of their six group games (L1). Istanbul Basaksehir are the sixth Turkish side to play in the UEFA Champions League, with only one of the previous five winning their first ever match -Trabzonspor in September 2011, who won 1-0 away at Inter Milan.
RB Leipzig -who have the youngest manager in the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League with 33-year-old Julian Nagelsmann -were one of only two sides who didn't use a single outfield player aged 30 or older in the Champions League last season, along with KRC Genk.
Istanbul Basaksehir lost five of their eight away games in the UEFA Europa League in 2017/18 and 2019/20 (W3), losing each of their two in 2020 and conceding three goals in each defeat (1-3 vs Sporting, 0-3 vs FC Copenhagen).
RB Leipzig's Emil Forsberg has scored five goals in his six home UEFA Champions League appearances for Leipzig, scoring more goals at the Red Bull Arena than any other player for the club.
Istanbul Basaksehir striker Demba Ba scored three goals in six UEFA Champions League appearances in the 2013/14 season for Chelsea -Ba is averaging a goal every 55 minutes, the fourth-best ratio of any player with 3+ goals.
RB Leipzig's Hee-Chan Hwang created the most chances in open play in the UEFA Champions League group stage in 2019/20 (14) when he played for RB Salzburg -he was directly involved in six goals in his six group stage appearances (3 goals, 3 assists) and was one of two players to both score and assist three goals in the group stage, along with Kylian Mbappe (5 goals, 3 assists).
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