Galatasaray and Juventus set to resume Wednesday after snow interrupted match on Tuesday

The Champions League Group B match was suspended on Tuesday night after 31 minutes of play, still scoreless. A draw or better will put Juventus through to the last 16, while Galatasaray need a win.

Didier Drogba speaking to referee Pedro Proenca as it snows in Istanbul on Tuesday night. Tolga Bozoglu / EPA

Uefa have rescheduled the remainder of the Galatasaray v Juventus Champions League Group B clash to 3 PM local (5 PM UAE) on Wednesday after heavy snowfall brought a halt to Tuesday’s fixture.

The sides’ final Group B clash at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium was stopped in the 31st minute with the scoreline 0-0, as increasingly heavy snowfall made playing conditions nearly impossible.

Shortly afterwards Uefa scheduled the match for 2 PM, however it is believed police raised concerns about potential security risks. Uefa later rescheduled the match to 3 PM. It will resume in the 31st minute, meaning 59 minutes will be played on Wednesday.

A short statement on Uefa’s website said: “The match in Istanbul will resume at 14.00CET (15.00 local time).”

The referee, Pedro Proença, called the players off the pitch as efforts were made to clear the snow and after a 25-minute delay, Uefa announced the match had been abandoned.

Under competition regulations, the remainder of the match either had to be played on Wednesday, or on another date set by Uefa.

Juventus need a point from their final game in the group to secure their ticket to the last 16 along with Group B winners Real Madrid, who won 2-0 away to FC Copenhagen on Tuesday.

Galatasaray require a win to pip Juventus to second place.

Bizarrely, it is the third time a match between the sides has had to be interrupted.

In 1998, when Italy refused to extradite the Kurdish separatist leader Abdullah Ocalan to Turkey, a meeting of the clubs was delayed for a week, with Galatasaray eventually being held to a 1-1 draw in Istanbul.

In 2003, following terror attacks in Istanbul, Galatasaray hosted Juventus a week later than planned and won 2-0 in their group clash thanks to a brace from Hakan Sukur.