The Champions League, the world’s best club football competition will continue with Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea, travelling to Istanbul to take on hosts Galatasaray in the first leg of their round of 16 encounter.
This game will have an emotional touch to it as former Blues hit man, Didier Drogba shall return to face his former side.
Drogba, deemed a Chelsea legend in his time at the Bridge, hammered in 157 goals in 341 appearance winning 10 major trophies for the Blues. Nerves will be high when he returns as each fan in the stadium will be aware of what the big Ivorian can do.
His last kick in a blue jersey was from the penalty spot at Munich, which saw his side beat Bayern Munich and win the Champions League in 2012.
Chelsea have been in great form and have lost just one for their last five games and topped their group in the Champions League conceding just three goals in the process. They boast of one of the tightest defences in European football this season.
They sit pretty at the top of the domestic league and after a hard fought 1-0 victory at home over Everton during the weekend, the Blues will be hoping to replicate that performance and progress in this coveted football championship.
Eto’o mentioned on the Chelsea’s official site, “We have never thought that we can’t win the title, but Jose Mourinho came to Chelsea to do big things in the long run which he is trying to do.”
Roberto Mancini will once again face Chelsea after he was sacked as coach of Manchester City. Both the managers know each other well and it will be down to those finer and minor tactical differences which will tilt the tie in favour of one of the teams.
Galatasaray have had a decent league run and sit second in their domestic league. In the Champions League, it was Wesely Sneijder whose last gasp goal five minutes from time saw his team leap frog Juventus to second spot in their group allowing them to qualify for the round of 16.
If Galatasaray manage to overcome the threat possessed by Chelsea, it will be the second time that they reach the quarter finals of the Champions League.
Mancini has faced Chelsea nine times during his reign at Manchester City and came out victorious on six of those occasions. Those experiences could prove to be way more important than it actually seems.
The last time these two sides played at the Turk Telekom Arena, Chelsea ran riot hammering the home side 5-0. Tune in at 7.45 pm local time at the Turk Telekom Arena for the Champions League match on 26, February 2014.