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New coach, old saw as CFR meet Galatasaray

"It is not the coach who chooses the team – the team chooses itself," said new CFR 1907 Cluj coach Paulo Sérgio, with Galatasaray AŞ's Fatih Terim having "surprises in store".

New CFR coach Paulo Sérgio
New CFR coach Paulo Sérgio ©Getty Images

New CFR 1907 Cluj coach Paulo Sérgio insisted his first UEFA Champions League Group H game would be "nothing special" as he looked to gear his side up for a positive result against Galatasaray AŞ. The Romanian champions drew 1-1 in Istanbul on matchday three but Fatih Terim says he has a clear vision as to how he will repair that damage.

CFR Cluj
Paulo Sérgio, coach 
The match against Galatasaray will be nothing special, even if it is my first as CFR coach in the Champions League. It is not the coach who chooses the team – the team chooses itself. The coach has to pay attention to what the players are doing, to their attitude and form. Then there are the tactics, of course.

It would be better for us if Braga lost to Manchester United but I am focused on my team and my game, not what the others teams in the group are doing. We won't be playing for a draw – I always prepare my teams to win. We will be looking to score, to play our football. A draw is not good for us but would be worse for Galatasaray.

Galatasaray are full of ability, very fast and strong, but they have their problems too – they concede goals so we will have our chances. They have a real history, a big tradition, but we really want to win.

Weekend result
Saturday: CFR 5-0 FC Braşov (Kapetanos 14, Mureșan 55, Cadu 65pen, Rui Pedro 69, Aguirregaray 82)
Felgueiras; Pinto, Cadú, Piccolo, Sepsi; Luís Alberto (Aguirregaray 76), Mureșan; Diogo Valente (Deac 74), Bastos (Rui Pedro 25), Camora; Kapetanos.

• CFR recorded their biggest win of the season in coach Paulo Sérgio's first game since succeeding Ioan Andone.

Team news
Paulo Sérgio says Rafael Bastos is available after shaking off a left foot injury that curtailed his involvement on Saturday. Modou Sougou could also feature after three weeks out with a muscular problem.

Galatasaray
Fatih Terim, coach
We have some surprises in store for CFR but we will see how they play before we use those tactics. I already know my starting lineup, but I am not about to reveal it here. It's a very important game. CFR have the advantage of playing at home. For us it's an away fixture so it will be as difficult as you can expect. Our philosophy hasn't changed since we lost against Braga then drew against Cluj, so we will stick to it this time. The important thing is to get a good result by playing good football.

A change of coach can be a positive thing and a negative thing too. We will see how CFR deal with it. The fact is that the players are the same so I do not expect big changes. A win would be great for us, but even if we don't win, we will do our best to get six points from our last two fixtures.

Weekend result
Friday: İstanbul BB SK 1-3 Galatasaray (Umut 12, Selçuk 43, Zayatte og 69; Turgay 61)
Muslera; Eboué, Nounkeu, Cris, Riera; Hamit, Yekta (Aydın 82), Selçuk, Amrabat (Emre 65); Burak, Umut (Felipe Melo 70).

• Super League leaders Galatasaray, five games unbeaten in all competitions, were unchanged on Friday from the side that defeated Kayserispor on 27 October.

Team news
Johan Elmander will sit out matchday four after he was sidelined for at least six weeks with a right thigh tear suffered against CFR last month.

Match fact
The Turkish title holders have not won on their travels in the competition since September 2002, when they prevailed 2-0 at PFC Lokomotiv Moskva.

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