Women's Champions League: Galatasaray vs Roma facts

Galatasaray and Roma continue their UEFA Women's Champions League Group A campaigns when they face off in Istanbul.

This Matchday 2 fixture is the first meeting between the two sides.

Form guide

Galatasaray

This is Galatasaray's first-ever game against Italian opponents in UEFA competition.

The first Turkish side to feature in the Women's Champions League group stage, Galatasaray went down 3-0 at eight-time champions Lyon on Matchday 1.

Gala are unbeaten at home since a 1-4 Turkish Women's League defeat by Gaziantep Asya Spor on 4 February. Their record since then is W6 D2.

Metin Ülgen's side contested their first European fixture on 4 September, defeating Racing Union 4-1 in Luxembourg. Goals from Ebru Topçu, Andrea Stašková, Arzu Karabulut and Catalina Usme gave Gala the win in the round 1 semi-finals.

That victory took them into the round 1 final, where they saw off the challenge of BIIK on 7 September, again in Luxembourg. The 5-0 victory included a hat-trick from Hapsatou Malado Diallo, while Stašková and Pineda were again on the scoresheet.

In round 2, Galatasaray were paired with Slavia Praha and came through 4-3 on aggregate. The first leg in Istanbul on 19 September ended all square after the hosts conceded twice late in the second half to let slip a two-goal lead. In the Prague return six days later, Nazlican Parlak scored the decisive goal in extra time to secure Galatasaray's group stage debut.

Ülgen's side claimed Galatasaray's first Turkish Women's League title in 2023/24 as they finished two points clear of previous champions Fomget.

Topçu was Galatasaray's top league scorer last season with 15 goals.

Roma

Roma will be taking on Turkish opposition for the first time on Matchday 2.

They opened Group A with a 1-0 win over two-time champions Wolfsburg in Rome on 8 October. A 14th-minute Manuela Gugliano penalty was enough to separate the sides, meaning Roma have already matched their number of wins in last season's group stage.

This is Roma's third appearance in the Women's Champions League group stage after also featuring in both 2022/23 and 2023/24.

Alessandro Spugna's side reached the quarter-finals on their competition debut in 2022/23, losing to eventual champions Barcelona 1-6 on aggregate (0-1 h, 1-5 a).

Roma finished fourth in Group C last season in a section that included Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern München and Ajax, their only victory coming against the latter.

In qualifying for this season's group stage, Roma overcame Swiss opponents FCCF Servette in round 2. Evelyne Viens scored twice in a 3-1 first-leg victory in Rome on 18 September, with Giulia Dragoni and Valentina Giacinti both finding the net twice in a 7-2 win in Geneva eight days later.

Giugliano and Giacinti scored eight of Roma's ten goals in the 2023/24 group stage.

The She-Wolves claimed their first ever domestic double last season with success in both league and cup.

Key facts

The only previous Women’s Champions League match between a team from Türkiye and a team from Italy was in the 2009/10 qualifying round, when ASD Torres Femminile Sassari won 9-0 against Trabzonspor.

Galatasaray's only previous home Women's Champions League match was a 2-2 draw against Slavia Praha in the first leg of their Round 2 tie.

Roma have won all three of their Women's Champions League games this season.

The Italian side won on Matchday 2 in each of the last two seasons: 4-3 at St. Pölten in 2022/23 and 3-0 at home to Ajax last season.

Roma have scored in 21 of their 23 Women's Champions League fixtures.