The expert view from Turkey: Manchester United should be wary of Galatasaray's Gegenpress

Turkish sports journalist Caner İşbeğendiren gives his insight on Galatasaray ahead of their Champions League meeting with Manchester United.

Since the early 1990s, when Turks started to appear in the showcase of European football, Old Trafford has been the away adventure where Turks have played the most matches and experienced the most, even if they did not win in many of them. United, whose foundation was laid under Sir Alex Ferguson and who were at the top of Europe for many years, was the biggest nightmare for Turkish teams, especially in the early 2000s.

The first meeting of Turkish football with Manchester United in European competiton was in October 1993. In the second round of the Champions League, Galatasaray, the rising value of Turkish football, was to play United, who had won the championship in England after 26 years. The favourites of the match were, of course, United. Peter Schmeichel, Roy Keane, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and many more. Each of them were such big stars that there had to be another way for Galatasaray to get through. The 20,000 or so ardent supporters in the stands had their work cut out for them. United legend Robson said of the match in Istanbul that day: "It was the most eerie atmosphere I have ever played in." For 30 years, the phrase "Ali Sami Yen hell", which has been on the lips of Galatasaray fans, was coined for the first time that day.

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United also has the title of being the team that has been matched with the most number of Turkish teams in the history of the Champions League. The English giants, who have previously been paired with Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş, Bursaspor