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Galatasaray a genuine contender
By Patrick Snell, CNNSI.com Once the outsiders of European football, Galatasaray of Turkey go into Tuesday’s Champions League quarterfinal with Real Madrid as genuine challengers for the Spaniards’ European crown. Last season the competition’s perennial makeweights finally translated their domestic dominance into European success, winning the UEFA Cup on penalties after a 0-0 draw with Arsenal in Copenhagen. That was followed by a 2-1 win over Madrid in the European Super Cup, a result which has raised hopes in Istanbul of a famous season double over the legendary Spanish side on the way to further European glory. “Obviously we are one of the best teams in Europe,” says club captain Bulent Korkmuz, a 32-year-old defender. “After the quarterfinals every team is the same. We have to win.” Striker Serkan Ayku agrees: “They said we wouldn’t win the UEFA Cup and the Super Cup. “We proved them wrong and we will prove them wrong again. This is Real Madrid and we see this as an early final. After Madrid it will be easier for us. The player at the heart of Cim Bom’s success has been Gheorghe Hagi. At almost 35, the Romanian playmaker’s best days may be behind him but the presence of one of the finest left foots in history has given Galatasaray the swaggering confidence of a member of Europe’s elite. A former Real Madrid player, Hagi knows that his former club, with two Champion League triumphs in the past three years, remains the model for European achievement. “Everybody expects us to go on to the semifinals and final but first it’s the Madrid game. We know it’s difficult but it’s not impossible.” Tuesday’s home leg will be crucial to Galatasaray’s chances. Nicknamed “The Hell”, the Ali Semi Yen stadium’s reputation as one of the most intimidating venues in the world is well-justified. “The opposition should be afraid and they are afraid of the atmosphere in the stadium,” says Sarkan. “This is a piece of advice: they should be afraid because we always win here.” “It’s our stadium, our city, our country – the expectation makes us more powerful.” Further fuelling expectation among Galatasaray’s support has been the development of homegrown players like Emre Belozoglu. The 20-year-old midfielder, a product of the club’s youth system, has already drawn comparisons with the younger Hagi and attracted interest from Inter Milan. But for the moment, Emre’s career aspirations are inseparable from further Galatasaray success. “I’m one of the luckiest ones to start in the youth system and come up to the first team,” says Emre. “Galatasaray is at the beginning of the road. We see the giants of Europe as similar to ourselves and we’re just starting. “The UEFA Cup is a starting point. These teams don’t stop after one cup, two cups, three cups. We’re hungry for more.” But for Hagi, the aging master, one more trophy to end an illustrious career would probably be quite enough. “I’ll finish my career with Galatasaray and I hope its possible to play in the final of this competition.”
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