Kick-off on 15.03.23 19:00.

The Grey Owls finished the group stage in first place in Group A, earning them a direct ticket to the Round of 16. The Buffaloes eliminated Qarabağ in the previous round. The visitors lost 0-1 in Baku and could have conceded another goal if goalkeeper Roef had not saved a penalty. At the Gelamco Arena, the outcome of the clash was determined by a post-match penalty shootout, in which all the home team's shots were on target (1-0, 5-3).

Watch the Istanbul Başakşehir vs. Gent game online, as the opponents have not faced each other before. The Orange and Blue team started in the Conference League in the second round of qualification. In the qualification stage, the representative of the Turkish Championship faced Israeli side Netanya (1-1), Icelandic side Breidablik (3-0), and Belgian side Antwerp (1-1). In the group stage, the Istanbul-based team played home matches against Fiorentina (3-0), RFS from Latvia (3-0), and Heart of Midlothian (3-1). Okaka accumulated seven points with a combination of goals and assists (5+2), Chouiar scored six (1+5), and Aleksić found the back of the net five times.

The Grey Owls are participating in the Round of 16 of a European competition for the second time in their history. In the 2019/20 campaign, the team reached the same stage in the Europa League but were defeated by Copenhagen (1-0, 0-3). Watch the Istanbul Başakşehir vs. Gent match online.

Vanhaezebrouck's players had the opportunity to compete in the Europa League, but they were eliminated by Cypriot side Omonia in the qualification final. The opponents even won in Belgium, with a score of 0-2. In the group stage, the Buffaloes had away matches against Molde from Norway (0-0), Shamrock Rovers from Ireland (1-1), and Djurgarden from Sweden (2-4). Cuypers made an impact on three occasions, while Hyun-seok scored a goal and provided two assists. The team from East Flanders also reached the Round of 16 in their debut Champions League campaign but failed to progress past PAOK (1-2, 0-1).

Over the past seven years, the club have reached this stage in all three European tournaments. In the 2015/16 Champions League, the team were eliminated by Wolfsburg (2-3, 0-1), and in the 2016/17 Europa League, they were knocked out by Genk (2-5, 1-1). Watch the Istanbul Başakşehir vs. Gent match online.