Real Madrid News: 5 Reasons Why Los Blancos Must Be Wary of Galatasaray

Real Madrid begin their long-standing quest of La Decima glory with a tricky tie in Istanbul on Tuesday evening.

When the Champions League group stage draw was made in August, the footballing Gods did not particularly smile down on the Bernabeu.

Real found themselves bunched together with Italian champions Juventus, in addition to the unenviable task of meeting Turkish giants Galatasaray twice.

With a trip to Istanbul kicking off their campaign, there are five reasons why Los Blancos must treat this game with the utmost respect.

5. Poor Record Against Galatasaray in Turkey

Real Madrid have an adverse record against Galatasaray, particularly in Turkey. 

In five games between the two sides, the Turks have won three compared to Los Blancos' two victories.

The Ali Sami Yen stadium has historically been an extremely hostile destination for any visiting team, with the Independent famously reporting that Manchester United in 1993 were welcomed to "hell."

During their past two visits to Galatasaray's fiery lair, Los Blancos have been humbled, leaving with no points on both occasions.

4. Last Season's Clash with Galatasaray

Real were paired against Galatasaray during the quarter-final stage of last season's Champions League. Despite a first-leg 3-0 win at the Bernabeu, a late Turkish blitz almost startled Jose Mourinho's men in Istanbul.

Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder scored a goal apiece within two minutes of each other, turning what was a comfortable aggregate lead into a real nail-biter, as the Turks were winning 3-1 at home (but losing 4-3 on aggregate) with 20 minutes left to play.

Although Cristiano Ronaldo made the tie safe late on, the Turks were highly satisfied with their home performance. As reported by the UEFA website, Galatasaray coach Fatih Terim said, "Maybe we couldn't knock Real Madrid out of the competition but we deserve the respect of the whole world."

3. Iker Casillas' First Competitive Game This Season

Real manager Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed during the official UEFA press conference that Iker Casillas will line-up in-between the sticks on Tuesday evening, with in-form Diego Lopez losing out.

"

Casillas and Diego López are both very good goalkeepers, the rivalry between them makes them improve. I prefer Casillas in UEFA Champions League games because he is more experienced. Diego López will play in the Liga this season. I expect Casillas will give a good performance tomorrow.

"

Although Spain's No. 1 stopper has an array of Champions League experience, this seems a bizarre decision.

Considering the severe pressure Casillas is likely to be subjected to in his first competitive start for Los Blancos, Ancelotti could not have picked a more hostile venue.

2. Wesley Sneijder

The 29-year-old Dutchman surprisingly left Internazionale to join Galatasaray in January.

The joint 2010 World Cup top scorer preferred a move to Turkey rather than another European superpower to add to his illustrious CV of Ajax, Real Madrid and Internazionale.

The result is that Galatasaray have a hugely experienced Dutch international with an invaluable 57 Champions League appearances.  

In 2010, Sneijder was the chief architect behind Jose Mourinho's successful Inter Milan side, which won an unprecedented treble in Italy and led the Netherlands to a World Cup final against Spain in South Africa.

If fit, Sneijder will be pulling the strings against his old club.

1. Didier Drogba

Didier Drogba knows all about upsets, and combined with Sneijder has a wealth of Champions League experience (42 goals according to ESPN.com), which is vital if Galatasaray are to shock Los Blancos.

It was Drogba himself who secured Chelsea's unlikely Champions League triumph in 2012 with the last spot-kick of the game as the Londoners beat Bayern on penalties.

The following season, upon joining Galatasaray, it was the Ivorian who scored the Sarı-Kırmızılılar's third goal against Real. It made the score 3-1 on the night and 4-3 on aggregate with 18 minutes left to play.

Speaking during the official UEFA press conference, a confident Drogba talked up his side's chances. "Although we were eliminated, we got a win against them at home and I hope we will repeat this tomorrow because we have enough power to beat Real Madrid," said the ex-Chelsea star.

If Real can, at the very least, avoid defeat on Tuesday, it should be seen as a point earned.