When Real Madrid meets Turkish side Galatasaray later tonight, several football fans from all across the globe must be expecting an easy ride into the next stage for the Spanish giants.
But manager Jose Mourinho’s experience and intuition will be suggesting otherwise, as he will be boosting up his players to give in their best performance so far, as it is the stage of the competition that counts the most, and not the opponents.
Mourinho has enough reasons to be concerned, as the Turks have slowly built a squad decent enough to give even the top European times a tough time. And although the likes of Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder are the highlights of the team, several other players have been consistent performers and have kept the engine running for the club.
One such player is the Turkish striker Burak Yilmaz, who, along with Madrid winger Cristiano Rolando, is the leading scorer in the UEFA Champions League this season so far. His two goals in both legs against FC Schalke 04 helped his side advance into the next stage and get a chance to compete against Real Madrid. The 27 year old also has 8 goals for his national team in 25 appearances, scoring against a variety of oppositions.
Swede striker Johan Elmander is returning to the squad after two months of injury and will be looking to increase his tally of 5 goals that he has scored this season. The Swede has experience of playing in various different clubs across Europe, and he will be looking to play a role using his experience to help his side get a favorable result.
Former Liverpool winger Albert Riera is another player who has loads of experience. Being a Spanish international, he will be well aware of many of Real Madrid’s key players, and would look to make use of this while taking on the field on Wednesday night.
Emmanuel Eboue is another experienced man in the squad, the full-back has played for Arsenal in the past and though he does not carry an illustrious reputation, his experience might be key against the Spanish giants.
Needless to say, most eyes will be on the performances of Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder, two players who have built a strong reputation world over with their skills. Both will be looking to produce an unlikely result for their new club.
While Real Madrid is on a 37-match unbeaten run at the Santiago Bernabeau, Galatasaray will take hope from the fact that it has beaten the Spanish team in 2 of its last 3 encounters with them. What it will be mindful of is the fact that Madrid has scored 18 goals in the UEFA Champions League this season, being the joint top-scorer with Bayern Munich.
However, the Turks have lost just 2 of their last 18 away games in Europe; hence resilience might be the order of the day tonight for them.
Mourinho has enough reasons to be concerned, as the Turks have slowly built a squad decent enough to give even the top European times a tough time. And although the likes of Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder are the highlights of the team, several other players have been consistent performers and have kept the engine running for the club.
One such player is the Turkish striker Burak Yilmaz, who, along with Madrid winger Cristiano Rolando, is the leading scorer in the UEFA Champions League this season so far. His two goals in both legs against FC Schalke 04 helped his side advance into the next stage and get a chance to compete against Real Madrid. The 27 year old also has 8 goals for his national team in 25 appearances, scoring against a variety of oppositions.
Swede striker Johan Elmander is returning to the squad after two months of injury and will be looking to increase his tally of 5 goals that he has scored this season. The Swede has experience of playing in various different clubs across Europe, and he will be looking to play a role using his experience to help his side get a favorable result.
Former Liverpool winger Albert Riera is another player who has loads of experience. Being a Spanish international, he will be well aware of many of Real Madrid’s key players, and would look to make use of this while taking on the field on Wednesday night.
Emmanuel Eboue is another experienced man in the squad, the full-back has played for Arsenal in the past and though he does not carry an illustrious reputation, his experience might be key against the Spanish giants.
Needless to say, most eyes will be on the performances of Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder, two players who have built a strong reputation world over with their skills. Both will be looking to produce an unlikely result for their new club.
While Real Madrid is on a 37-match unbeaten run at the Santiago Bernabeau, Galatasaray will take hope from the fact that it has beaten the Spanish team in 2 of its last 3 encounters with them. What it will be mindful of is the fact that Madrid has scored 18 goals in the UEFA Champions League this season, being the joint top-scorer with Bayern Munich.
However, the Turks have lost just 2 of their last 18 away games in Europe; hence resilience might be the order of the day tonight for them.
