Real Madrid have not only avoided Barcelona in the quarter-finals, they've been drawn against what is, on paper, the easiest team of the lot in Galatasaray. An away trip to Turkey is always a daunting prospect, and Cim Bom Bom have plenty of quality in their side, but nonetheless, Jose Mourinho will be delighted with this draw, a game that he is unlikely to have too many sleepless nights about.
Real Madrid vs. Galatasaray, 2013 UEFA Champions League draw: Los Merengues given simple task
Real Madrid have been given a theoretically-simple task in overcoming Galatasaray over two legs to make the Champions League semi-finals, as the Turks’ fine run looks almost certain to come to an abrupt halt.
Key player
Burak Yilmaz - Galatasaray may resemble an attempt to build the World Team Of The Year 2009, with Didier Drogba, Wesley Sneijder and Felipe Melo knocking around, but if this tie is to be remotely interesting then they'll have to hope they can nick a goal or two, and Yilmaz is going to be their best bet of doing that. He's having an excellent season and has done rather well so far in the Champions League, and if they have a prayer of progessing it'll be through this man's goals.
Matchup to watch
Felipe Melo vs. Mesut Ozil
Madrid’s frontline is so good that they can almost supply themselves, but if Mesut Ozil gets into gear then the Turks are finished. They can give themselves a fighting chance by shutting down the German playmaker, for which Melo is best-suited to the task. Some good, old-fashioned roughhousing could go a long way.
Prediction
Real Madrid to win easily
If you imagine really hard, it’s possible to see Cim Bom Bom pulling off a remarkable victory in Istanbul, perhaps a shock 1-0. It’s not possible to imagine them winning this tie overall and avoiding a clobbering of biblical proportions at the Bernabeu. Unfortunately, they’re the patsies here, and Madrid should get through this tie without any trouble at all.
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