Group H: Van Gaal buoyed by Barça draw

FC Barcelona coach Louis van Gaal was delighted with today's UEFA Champions League draw, which steered his side away from the European big guns and to the relative safety of Group H - the only section which contains no domestic league title holders.

Home advantage
Having seen the Catalan giants placed in a four-team pool with Galatasaray SK, Lokomotiv Moskva and Club Brugge KV, Matchday One visitors to Camp Nou, Van Gaal said: "We've been more fortunate than in other years - initially
because we start at home and this is important. It's an advantage playing our first and final games at home."

Istanbul test
Of Barcelona's Belgian opponents on 18 September, Van Gaal said: "Belgian football has improved a lot, as they showed in the [FIFA] World Cup." But the Dutchman will nonetheless expect to steer his side successfully over the first hurdle and make the 24 September journey to Galatasaray with maximum points.

Old acquaintances
Acquaintances will be renewed in Istanbul - the two sides met in the second group stage of last season's Champions League, drawing 2-2 in Spain before Barcelona pinched a 1-0 win at the Ali Sami Yen stadium.

'Difficult opponent'
This season's trip to Turkey, where Barcelona lost 2-1 in the 1994 competition, could be of vital importance and Van Gaal is under no illusions how tough the game is likely to be, saying: "Galatasaray have really come on in recent years and are a very difficult opponent."

'Incredible' record
Barça travel to the colder climes of Russia on the first night of October, and the coach admits it is a favourable date to travel there in light of the harsh winters experienced in Moscow. "It's a good time to play there," said Van Gaal. "It would have been more difficult had it been later. But they are first in their league and have scored 31 goals and conceded just eight, which is incredible. I'd settle for that after 22 games of the Spanish
season."