TALKING POINTSChelsea return to Istanbul tonight. Not to 'hell', but the 'other place.' The infamous old version of the Ali Sami Yen, with its intimidating intimacy and city location, has made way for the slick, expansive acreage of the Turk Telecom Arena. 'Welcome to half-and-half scarf hell!', anyone? Nonetheless the locals will attempt to stoke the furnaces and avoid a repeat of the Blues' 5-0 triumph in Istanbul in 1999.
Other aspects of the trip are far more familiar, notably the presence on the pitch of the Londoners' Champions League-winning legend, Didier Drogba. The Ivorian, now 35, is still banging in goals - 10 in 27 Süper Lig and Champions League appearances.
What is more difficult to gauge is the strength of Turkey's top flight. Current league leaders Fenerbahçe played a Champions League qualification tie with Arsenal in August and lost 0-3 at home, 0-2 in London.
It is also notable that Galatasaray's seven points from the group stage would not have been enough to qualify in six of the seven others; five third-placed teams had a better tally.
They lost their first Group B game 6-1 at home to Real Madrid, Roberto Mancini replacing Fatih Terim as coach and masterminding a draw at Juventus in his first game. Wesley Sneijder's late goal defeated the Old Lady in the last game to secure the runners-up slot.
No comments:
Post a Comment