Can Erözden
28 September 2016•Update: 29 September 2016
ANKARA
After craving a UEFA Champions League win for many seasons, Turkish football heavyweights Besiktas are set to play Ukraine's defending champions Dynamo Kyiv in the top-tier tournament's Group B match in Istanbul late Wednesday.
The Istanbul club, currently in second place in the group, want to end their drought in the Champions League since their last win against English giants Manchester United in November 2009.
Besiktas won that match 1-0 at Man U's home ground Old Trafford.
Besiktas' first group match against Portugal's Benfica ended in a 1-1 draw at the Luz stadium in Lisbon on Sept. 13.
Benfica's early goal came from Franco Cervi in the 12th minute, who converted a loose ball after a powerful ground stroke by Eduardo Salvio from the left wing was deflected by goalkeeper Tolga Zengin.
Mostly a midfield wrangle, the game carried on into the injury time when Besiktas’ Anderson Talisca, who was sent on loan to Turkey by Benfica last month, came up with a spectacular free-kick in the 93rd minute to get his team off the hook.
The match against the Ukrainian club will be played at Besiktas's newly built stadium Vodafone Arena and it will kick off at 9.45 p.m local time (1845 GMT).
Besiktas regular Oguzhan Ozyakup may not play as he is nursing an ankle injury.
The 24-year-old central midfielder sustained the injury during the derby against Galatasaray which ended 2-2 on Sept. 24.
Besiktas's opponents Dynamo Kyiv lost their previous Champions League match against the group's favorites Napoli.
Italy's Napoli won the match 2-1 in Kiev.
Group B standings:
| Teams | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts |
|---|
| Napoli | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Besiktas | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Benfica | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
