Meira: "It Is Never Easy To Play Against A Great Striker Like Immobile, Ciro Can Strike At Any Moment And In Any Way. He Knows How To Attack Space Perfectly, It Will Take Teamwork To Stop Him."

Former Galatasary defender, Fernando Meira, spoke to the microphones of www.sslazio.it.

Thursday Lazio-Galatasaray: which is your favorite?

"It will be an important and difficult match for both teams. Galatasaray is struggling in the league but doing well in Europe, where they have won important victories. Lazio is strong, competitive, and have dangerous players but like all teams, they are not unbeatable: for this, I hope that with a good performance, Terim's men will be able to return to Turkey with first place in the group and directly access the Round of 16 of the competition."

Did you expect this situation in the Europa League group with 90 minutes to go?

"That Group E was a difficult group for Galatasaray, made up of great teams like Lazio, Marseille, and Lokomotiv Moscow. It was uncertain, but the Turks arrived at this match with fate in their own hands, so everything is open."

As a former defender, how difficult is it to mark an attacker as Immobile?

"It is never easy to play against a great striker like Immobile, the best scorer in the history of Lazio. If he recovers, the Galatasaray defenders will have to keep an eye on him throughout the game because Ciro can strike at any moment and in any way. He knows how to attack space perfectly, it will take teamwork to stop him."

Only one previous match against Lazio, with Vitória Guimarães in September 1997: do you remember that match?

"I remember that match perfectly: I was at the beginning of my career. We lost 2-1 at the Olimpico against a great team, it was a pleasure to play against Lazio and great champions like Nesta, Nedved, Boksic, and Signori."