Galatasaray Coach Okan Buruk made a statement at the press conference held at Jose Alvalade Stadium, where the match will be held, before the match, which will start at 22.00 GMT tomorrow.
Stating that the season has started in the Champions League, Buruk said, "We will play our first match in the Champions League, which is the dream of many football players and coaches around the world. We will play against a very good team. A team that played in the quarter-finals last year and won 4 matches at home. Of course, they lost important names in the squad, but I think they will be replaced by very good football players.
They have a very good squad, a very good game. We can see how good our opponent is, how mobile he is and how quickly he goes to the opponent's goal. That's why it won't be an easy match. We are a good team too. We have important shortcomings, but we will take the field with 11, we will have players coming off the bench. I have great confidence in my players, as always. "We will do everything we can to go out and win the game tomorrow." he said.
"I HAVE A SHARE IN THEM BEING CHAMPIONS"
Okan Buruk's joke that he had a share in Sporting's championship in the 2020-2021 season caused laughter in the hall.
When a Portuguese press member asked about the atmosphere at Jose Alvalade Stadium, reminding him that he had faced Sporting while he was in Başakşehir, Buruk said, "I also have a part in Sporting becoming the champion after 19 years. Especially after the match we won 4-1, there was a change of coach. Amorim took over the team and subsequently Sporting became the champion. That's why I think they will welcome me well in this sense." he said.
"WE WILL PLAY AGAINST A VERY GOOD TEAM"
Stating that the stadium is very beautiful, the coach of the yellow-red team continued his words as follows:
"It is a very nice stadium for a Champions League. There are great fans. I have had this experience before. It is very important and valuable for me to experience this in the Champions League. We will play against a very good team. They especially have a very good coach. When we look at the beginning of this year, we see a good coach, a good staff, good players, a good fan group. We have the same things. I think everyone will be much more excited in the first match of the Champions League. The first match is always very important. We have been experiencing this excitement for two days. We are playing the league match. "We finished the match and we prepared for it. We will do our best. Both teams have good players. I think it will be a good and enjoyable match."
"THEY HAVE LOOKS AND FOLLOW-UPS"
Referring to Sporting's ability to go to the goal quickly, the experienced coach said, "They especially make transitions very effectively. They go to the goal very quickly. They are a team with a lot of good features. They are very mobile, they change places on the field a lot. What is important for us is to be able to defend against our opponent in a compact way and to put pressure at the right time. It is a team that goes to the goal quickly, but we also have this feature. We can also go to the goal very quickly. Our opponent has 3 goals this year with long shots. They are effective with the entry of the full-backs. Both teams know each other's characteristics well. I think the self-confidence, concentration on the field and being comfortable with the ball are the most important things. Our opponent also has pressures and pursuits from time to time. There are changes between the league matches and the Champions League matches. It is a team that is a little more cautious against strong teams. We will see it more clearly after the match starts. made his assessment.
"DENİZ GÜL IS ONE OF THE PLAYERS WE WILL CONSIDER"
Okan Buruk said that there is a possibility that Deniz Gül will start in the first 11 in tomorrow's match.
In response to the question about Deniz, who was transferred from Porto, which was the Portuguese League champion last season, Buruk said, "Deniz is very young, but he is a national player. He is a Turkish player, but he is not a player born in Türkiye. It is an important experience for him to play in Porto, especially after leaving the country where he grew up. There is a self-confidence because he has won the championship. Deniz is a player we like very much from the national team. He is a player that many teams in Türkiye want to buy. He wanted Galatasaray very much, and Galatasaray also wanted him very much. He is currently in an adaptation period. He is in an adaptation period. "We are trying to prepare him and bring him to the level of the team. He has not played very well in Porto since the beginning of the season. It is necessary to give him 90 minutes of match experience. We put him in the game in the last league match and he is one of the players we will consider starting tomorrow." He concluded his words by saying.
