Altintop wary of Schalke threat

Galatasaray star Hamit Altintop has told his side what they can expect against Schalke when they face each other in the Champions League.

The midfielder spent four years at the German club between 2003 and 2007, making over 100 appearances, before taking in spells at European giants Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

Altintop said the Bundesliga side would provide stiff competition in the two-legged round-of-16 tie.

“I played my first Champions League match while I was at Schalke and scored a goal against AC Milan,” the 30-year-old told the UEFA website. “It will be nice to face them.

“There are no easy games at this level. It may seem easier than it could have on paper but I know the German culture. They will be a team high on discipline. An interesting couple of meetings lie ahead.

“I know all about their stadium and the atmosphere. Almost every match is a sell-out. In my first year there
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we were playing in the Intertoto Cup and there were 55,000-60,000 people there.

“Even if the excitement is not what we have in Turkey, there’s substantial support. The Turkish community in Germany will be an advantage for us. We need to prepare well.”