Galatasaray vs Anderlecht preview - Prandelli wary of Anderlecht threat

Posted Tuesday, September 16, 2014 by PA

Galatasaray coach Cesare Prandelli has refused to label his side's opening Champions League opponents Anderlecht as the weak link in Group D.

The Turkish giants face an enviable task if they are to make it to the knockout stages for the third year in a row, having also been drawn in the same group as Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal.

It means that a slip-up at home to Anderlecht is unthinkable for Galatasaray, who reached the last 16 in the last campaign and the quarter-finals the season before.

Yet Prandelli, who took charge of the Istanbul-based side over the summer, is not underestimating the challenge of their Belgian opponents.

"We'll play against an organised, very young and interesting team. They will be ambitious to impress. Therefore we need to be careful. We'll try to get three points with the help of our fans," he told www.uefa.com.

"Let's not call Anderlecht the weakest team in the group. Let's say the youngest. Just because they have played more matches than us, we won't have any fear of them."

The 57-year-old Italian expects playmaker Wesley Sneijder to play a starring role over the course of the season for Gala, who have taken four points out of six at the start of their Super Lig season.

"Sneijder is one of the most important players of Galatasaray. He has big quality. He showed a high-level of performance in the World Cup and before that for Galatasaray," added Prandelli.

Anderlecht manager Besnik Hasi is adamant his side will not just park the bus and hope for a draw.

The Belgian champions are unbeaten this season but face a tough test to extend that record in the cauldron of the Turk Telekom Arena although this does not faze Hasi.

"We haven't come here just to defend," he said. "We'll try to play our game as much as we can.

"We'll try to play in the way we do in our league and have possession. Will we get points? That depends on the tactics. If we can play our own game, why not?"