Galatasaray and Atletico Madrid will kick off the 2015-2016 UEFA Champions League season at Turk Telekom Arena this Tuesday, with their minds set on establishing themselves as the dominant forces in Group C. Both clubs have made a name for themselves in Europe's most important club competition, and they will try to prove they can be considered as title contenders.
While Galatasaray did not make it past the group stage last year, Atlético will try to find the motivation to repeat their 2013-2014 season, which saw them reach the final against Real Madrid. However, Simeone's men will surely want to end it differently, as they ended up losing that match in overtime.
Galatasaray
The Turkish giants seemed unbeatable for any Spanish club, since they couldn't be defeated by any La Liga side while hosting them. That streak ended against Real Madrid during the 2012-2013 season, when Los Blancos got away with a narrow 3-2 win. Galatasaray has never made it past the Quarter-final stage in the European competition under the current format, and Hamza Hamzaoğlu will surely try to re-write the team's history books this time around, after not being able to win a single match in last year's Group D. Wesley Sneijder, Lukas Podolski and new addition Kevin Großkreutz will have to carry the Turks to the next stage.
Atletico Madrid
After living under the shadow cast by Real Madrid, Diego Simeone has proven that his side can also be considered a threat in the European competition. All the experts consider the Argentinean coach will have the best squad available during his term as Atletico's coach, but with great power, comes great responsibility. Antoine Griezmann, Spanish midfielder Koke and Colombian Jackson Martinez will be the players to watch for Atlético, never leaving behind moral leader Fernando Torres, one of the team's legends and the go-to guy when it comes to crunch games. Los Colchoneros ended their 2014-2015 Champions League season against Real Madrid, when a late goal by "Chicharito" Hernández sent them packing after a grueling Quarter-final clash.
Head to head
Galatasaray and Atletico have played four games in European competitions. The most recent matchup between them saw Los Colchoneros emerge victorious in the 2009-2010 UEFA Europa League, with the Spanish side winning both games. Hakan Balta, Sabri Sarıoğlu and Emre Çolak are the only remaining players from their most recent loss against Atlético, and they will surely try to get some payback while they host the Spaniards on Tuesday evening.
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