What can opponents expect from Galatasaray in this season's UEFA Champions League?

Back in the UEFA Champions League group stage after battling through the play-offs, Galatasaray have been presented with a huge challenge after being pooled with Bayern, Man United and Copenhagen in Group A. However, the Turkish champions are determined to rise to the occasion.

Forwards Mauro Icardi and Dries Mertens have brought a huge amount of class (and no small amount of goals) to the Istanbul club, but as coach – and former Galatasaray midfielder – Okan Buruk told UEFA.com, it is Türkiye's raw passion for the game that can take his side to the next level.

On the magic of the Champions League

Okan Buruk, Galatasaray coach: "I started to play for Galatasaray in the 1991/92 season and, in the later years, I made my debut in the Champions League. My dream as a coach after coming to Galatasaray was winning the domestic title first. We had always dreamed that we would win the title and play in the Champions League the following season."

Mauro Icardi, Galatasaray forward: "Obviously, if we’re in the Champions League our first aim is to make it out of the group stage, get as many points as possible so we can get to the next round. The hope and excitement comes from when you believe in what you're doing, and you're aware that you can achieve big things – then you can make it happen."

Okan Buruk: "I get goosebumps when I hear the anthem. Seeing those stars, seeing the stars on the ball. It excites me even as a coach. And the quality of the games, of course, is incredibly high. The scenes are magnificent. The referees are amazing. Football players are amazing. Even when we say 'the Champions League', this actually excites us."

On what makes Galatasaray special

Okan Buruk: "Galatasaray not only do they have fans in Türkiye, they have a lot of fans outside the country too. In that respect, Galatasaray is a brand that suits the Champions League perfectly."

Dries Mertens, Galatasaray forward: "What's special about this club? The passion of the fans, the passion of the club. Perhaps it's some sort of motivation I need: a great city to live in, fans that are really passionate about their club, a great stadium and a club that really has achieved a lot and gone through a tough period because [until last season they hadn’t] been champions for several years."

Mauro Icardi: "In Argentina we love football, you could even say that football is more important than family for a lot of people! We breathe football. What caught my attention here [in Türkiye] was the passion they have. We fill the stadium in cup games, while in some other places the stadium is not even half-full. We fill the stadium, people chant."

Okan Buruk: "In addition to this passion, of course, we also have impatience – we want something right away. This is one of the things that compels us in Turkish football: let everything happen quickly, let's always win. Besides, victories are experienced to the fullest, and when we lose, we dwell on them."

On what opponents can expect

Okan Buruk: "My football philosophy, again, comes from my Galatasaray genes. I have won seven [domestic] championships while I was a footballer, a UEFA Cup and a [UEFA] Super Cup – two important trophies in my career while I was playing. I have always focused on winning and I have been a person who knows how to win.”

Mauro Icardi: "Some people think that if you're in Türkiye, you're not at the elite level of Europe, so you're more relaxed. On the contrary, while being here in Türkiye I want the demand to be high – to achieve important things.”