New Galatasaray Coach Roberto Mancini praised Antonio Conte and will be “very happy to see Carlos Tevez again.”
New Galatasaray Coach Roberto Mancini praised Antonio Conte and will be “very happy to see Carlos Tevez again.”
The former Inter and Manchester City manager signed a three-year contract with Galatasaray on Monday and his debut will be on Wednesday night at the Juventus Stadium in Turin.
“It will be strange because I only met the squad yesterday, but we hope we’ll be able to put in a good performance,” said Mancini in his Champions League Press conference.
“It will be a difficult game because Juventus are an excellent team. Conte has done a great job with them.”
Tevez is a major doubt to feature tomorrow due to an ankle injury he sustained in the Turin Derby, but Mancini is eager to reunite with his old Manchester City striker.
“I’ll be very happy to see Tevez again. He’s a great player and we made history together with Man City in England. I expect he’ll play, as I doubt he will hold back because of an ankle.”
Mancio is already feeling the pressure, as fans in Istanbul are angry that Fatih Terim was sacked in a contract dispute.
“Terim’s popularity doesn’t surprise me. I’m here to try and continue the great job he’s done. I was first approached about the job five or six days ago and met the club in Istanbul on Sunday.
“The first game was a difficult one, but we’ve got five left and we’ll look to qualify from the Champions League group stage. We have to forget about the Real Madrid defeat and see our season from tomorrow onwards.
“I’m not fully familiar with all of the players. Thankfully the international break is coming soon so I’ll get to know them better. As far as tactics are concerned… we’ll see tomorrow!
“It’s certainly a handicap to take the reins on the eve of the game, but we’ll look to make the best of it. In situations like this, luck counts too.”
Wesley Sneijder is in the Galatasaray squad for tomorrow, but remains in doubt, while Felipe Melo and Didier Drogba are expected to start.