United ready to face Galatasaray but Giggs remembers previous experiences

United face Turkish side Galatasaray this Wednesday in their first Champions League game of the campaign, a match that’s certainly going to be made harder by the the fierce and frightening atmosphere Galatasaray fans normally create. The Turks are renowned for making a hostile atmosphere, and having played during the match that they uncovered the “welcome to hell” banners, Ryan Giggs has said it’s an experience he’ll never forget. Although Wednesday’s game is at Old Trafford, it’s pretty clear that the Turkish fans are keen to have a large impact on the match and you’d be foolish to suggest that they wont be successful.

“I remember it vividly. It’s one of those memories that will always stick with you,” said Giggs. “When we arrived at the airport, there were all the banners and thousands of fans screaming at you. There were things thrown at us when we were driving away on the coach, fans outside the hotel chanting all night making sure we didn’t get any sleep and people phoning the hotel rooms. It had everything.” Although there’s no doubting that we have a superior ability to them on paper, the rotation of the squad may play a big part as players are likely to be rested ahead of Sunday’s game against Liverpool. We paid dearly for rotation last year by being knocked out in the group stage, so I hope we don’t do so again this year – but I’m sure we will.

Giggs added, “But they were a good team and a good club. It is a fantastic game to be involved in, especially away from home. It is an atmosphere a lot of the lads won’t have witnessed before. The atmosphere back then was something I tried to enjoy as much as I could,” he adds. “The manager told us to go on the pitch and sample the atmosphere. The fans had been in the ground for hours and hours so it was buzzing 90 minutes before kick-off. We were stood in the middle of the pitch watching the fans chant. It was one stand to another. It was a brilliant atmosphere if I am honest but obviously the game didn’t pan out the way we wanted. We need to win our home games and perform at home. We usually say 10 or more points gets you through so if you win your home games and try and draw away from home, you are usually through.”