Galatasaray's Hamit Altintop is looking forward to playing former team Schalke in their Champions League Round of 16 clash.
Seeing off the challenge of Arsenal, Schalke qualified for the
knockout stages of the Champions League by winning Group B. However,
Jens Keller's men have struggled for form domestically despite the
Bundesliga side's impressive European run.
Speaking to GSTV,
Altintop believed that his former club's mediocre league performance was
not an indication that they would be pushovers when the two teams meet
for the first leg.
"This game against Schalke is very special to
me as I spent four years at Schalke and played my first Champions League
match there," he stated.
"Despite their poor performance in the
Bundesliga, Schalke finished top of their Champions League group. We
must not become complacent, last season Chelsea finished sixth in the
league but won the Champions League."
With the opening game of
the tie set to take place at the Turk Telekom Arena, the 30-year old is
confident that Galatasaray have everything they need to emerge on top,
including two former Champions League winners ready to make their
European bow for their new club.
"[Didier] Drogba and [Wesley]
Sneijder are world-class players. It's a huge advantage to have them
playing on our team and it raises the profile of Galatasaray in the
world," Altintop said.
"Playing the first game at home is an
advantage in my opinion. With the help of our supporters we hope to go
into the second leg with a comfortable advantage, this is an opportunity
for us to show our quality, these are the types of game we want to
play."
Galatasaray and Schalke will contest the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie on Wednesday.
Source: Fox Sport
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