Schalke 04 and Galatasaray face off in the Champions League 2013 Round of 16 tilt.
Schalke 04 has had a tough season in the Bundesliga but managed to win Group B with some strong collective play. The team won its first match against Olympiacos but followed it with a 2-2 draw against Montpelier. Schalke took over the group with a draw and win against Arsenal and then defeated Olympiacos 1-0 to clinch a spot in the next round. In its final game, the team drew 1-1 with Montpelier.
Turkish side Galatasaray is hoping that the additions of Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder will give the team the extra edge moving forward.
"It [the win] gave us a morale boost ahead of the Schalke game," said Coach Fatih Terim. "When he is fit, Drogba has the ability both to keep the ball for us up front and to lead the team."
"When you add Sneijder to that, we will perform much better. Both have integrated with the team very quickly."
Drogba was an essential piece in Chelsea's championship run a season ago; he scored the game tying goal in the final and then added the clinching penalty shot. Sneijder was part of the 2010 World Cup runner-up Netherlands squad. The additions help a solid offense that include the likes of Burak Yilmaz; the Turkish forward scored six goals in the six group stage matches. The team opened the tournament with a 1-0 loss to Manchester United and followed it with a 2-0 loss to Braga. The team finally got on the board with a draw and win over CFR Cluj before taking down Manchester United and Braga in the final games of the group stage.
Prediction: Galatasaray gets the best of Schalke at home; 3-1 Galatasaray.
Start Time: 2:45 PM EST
TV Info: MSG Plus