If there was one leg I could choose to attend in any of the eight matches in the quarter-finals it would be at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium in Istanbul. This place has been recorded as the loudest venue in the world and the visit of the Spaniards will have the place rocking.
While many pundits seem to think that Galatasaray will be a pushover for 9 time champions, Real Madrid, it would be foolish in the extreme for Jose Mourinho to fall in line with that train of thought. Gala are dangerous and a team that will always have a goal or two in them.
The advantage for Mourinho is that he’s well aware of Fatih Terim’s big guns, Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder having coached both of them to glory for Chelsea and Inter respectively. He doesn’t know UCL top scorer Burak Yilmaz that well though and the Turkish international will be the key to Gala if they hope to pull of the shock.
Stopping Real is almost an impossible task though. Cristiano Ronaldo is reaching the point in his career known as the ‘peak’ and to think he wasn’t that bad for the previous ten years. Angel Di Maria is enjoying the best season of his life while Mesut Ozil who is of Turkish decent will have some serious motivation flowing through his veins after being booed mercilessly during a recent Germany/Turkey international.
Only a brave man or someone with serious inside information would bet against Real.
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