Galatasaray Get Tough CL Opponents, but Say Rivals Should 'Think Twice'

Thursday's draw in Monaco pitted Galatasaray against some of Europe's biggest clubs. The Istanbul side will face Liverpool, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Ajax, Monaco, Bodo/Glimt of Norway and Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise.

This is the second season of the league phase format with 36 teams playing eight different opponents on a weighted schedule through January, and ranked in a single-standings table.

Bodo/Glimt and Union Saint-Gilloise are two of the four newcomers to the main stage of the Champions League, alongside Kairat Almaty and Russian-owned Pafos.

Games in Bodo and Almaty are set to be the longest-ever trips for visiting teams, and their home games in January are among the coldest in competition history. Bodo plays on a heated artificial turf field.

Galatasaray have been drawn to play Bodo in Istanbul.

Despite the tough draw, Galatasaray President Dursun Özbek struck a confident tone, saying they are "at least as strong" as their opponents.

"The Champions League is a completely different arena. Every team here must be treated equally. We are obliged to show a performance worthy of Galatasaray and one that will make our fans proud," said Özbek.

"I am very happy. Fantastic teams are coming. It will be a great opportunity for Turkish fans to watch these matches, and we will do our best to make them and Türkiye proud," he added.

Galatasaray Sportif A.Ş. Vice President Abdullah Kavukçu was even more defiant, saying that everyone who play against the Süper Lig champions "should think twice."

"We saw last year that we perform well against strong teams. This season, we will raise our performance and emerge strong from what looks like a tough group. Everything is in our hands, and we will deliver results that make our fans happy," Kavukçu said.

"People say strong opponents came out of the draw, but Galatasaray are also very strong."