Galatasaray boss sends warning to Tottenham ahead of possible Champions League clash
Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk has made a confident statement ahead of a potential Champions League round of 16 showdown with Tottenham Hotspur.
The focus of new Spurs interim boss Igor Tudor will be on domestic matters for now as the Lilywhites attempt to get themselves out of relegation trouble.
However, the Champions League will be on the back of the mind of the Tottenham squad and the coaching staff, with a round of 16 tie coming up in a few weeks.
Spurs know they will play one of Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray, or Club Brugge in the next round, and they have now got closer to finding out who their opponents will be.
Okan Buruk reminds Tottenham that they lost to Galatasaray
Atletico Madrid played out an entertaining 3-3 draw in the first leg at Club Brugge, with the La Liga side thus well placed to qualify for the R16 stage.
Galatasaray are in an even better position after thumping Juventus 5-2, which means that they now have to just avoid losing by more than two goals at the Allianz Stadium next week to seal progression.
The winner of one of these two playoff ties will face Spurs while the other will face Liverpool in the next round, but Buruk is not scared of either Premier League club.
The Galatasaray boss said after his side’s thumping win against Juve (via talkSPORT): “I hope that we will pass this play-off and we will play against Tottenham or Liverpool, I don’t know.
“Last year, we played against Tottenham, we beat them 3-2, this year, we played against Liverpool, and we beat them 1-0. I hope one of them, I don’t know which one will come, but we have good memories against these two teams.”
Buruk shoots warning about Galatasaray’s strength at home
The 52-year-old is aware that his side still has work to do in the second leg in Turin and insists they will not take their eye off the ball.
He also made it clear that the clubs that come to Rams Park will find it easy to deal with the atmosphere in Istanbul.
The Turkish coach added: “It was a historic night for Galatasaray, the players and for me. I was a football player, played in Italy for Inter, where we were rivals with Juventus, it was always a hard game.
“And last night to win 5-2… after the first half it was 1-2, the second was 4-0 to us, it was an amazing result for the first game. The Champions League is another level but to win against this level of team like Juve, it’s an amazing night for Turkish football.
“We analysed very well about the opposite team, but the atmosphere of the stadium in Istanbul is a big experience. You have to be there and feel the atmosphere…it affects our game, we are defending together, we are attacking together and we had a great night.
“The players are always waiting for the Champions League games, they concentrate more than the Turkish league, all players, everything was perfect.
“We have to start 0-0 in the second leg, we need to start without anything from the first game and beat them there. This was our first half, we will play our second half now.”
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