If Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane is feeling quietly confident that his side will be able to salvage their Champions League campaign against a motley crew of Premier League rejects, then perhaps he should think again.
The Spanish giants, currently in the midst of an unwelcome Champions League rut that has piled the pressure on the club legend at the helm, travel to Galatasaray on Tuesday in search of their first European victory this season.
But their opponents will also be hoping to rescue their ailing qualification hopes – and a bunch of flops from the English top flight may be able to land a potentially fatal hammer blow on Zidane in the process.
Here, Sportsmail takes a look at Galatasaray’s ex-Premier League players and gives you the lowdown on their progress since moving to Turkey…
Galatasaray striker Radamel Falcao will be hoping to deal Zinedine Zidane a knockout blow
The pressure is mounting on the Real Madrid boss after a poor Champions League campaign
Radamel Falcao
Veteran Colombian striker Falcao experienced a rollercoaster six-year period at Ligue 1 giants Monaco, which featured his recovery from serious knee injuries and two high-profile and vastly disappointing loans to Manchester United and Chelsea.
During two years in the Premier League, the Colombian striker struggled to make an impact after being plagued by yet more injuries and looked a shadow of the free-scoring striker he was at Atletico Madrid.
After netting just four times for United under Louis van Gaal, despite being paid huge £280,000-a-week wages, the club opted against signing him permanently. And with just one goal scored for Chelsea the following season, his reputation as one of Europe’s most prolific scorers lay firmly in tatters.
Falcao now plays for Galatasaray following spells at Manchester United and Chelsea
Falcao was a spectacular flop on loan at United, scoring just four times despite huge wages
He then tried his luck at Chelsea, but endured just as disappointing a season there
Yet Falcao fought on and returned to his former scoring ways at his parent club, and captained the principality side to the league title and Champions League semi-finals in 2017.
But with the club struggling to survive in a surprise relegation battle last season, Falcao opted to move to Turkey in search of a fresh challenge, having scored 83 goals in 140 games in France.
The 33-year-old’s spell in Istanbul has failed to spark into life so far.
Despite Falcao contributing just one goal in his first five appearances, former Turkish international Tuncay Sanli has backed him to find his feet sooner rather than later.
He told Goal: ‘When he is in the 18-yard box, he will score. He is a big player but he still needs time.
‘Everywhere it is the same if you are a big name and that means pressure. It is too early now [to make judgements]. Lots of teams have started poorly. That’s the situation.’
Ryan Babel
Holland international Babel represented Liverpool between 2007 and 2011, but the current Galatasaray star has reflected on his experience at Anfield negatively.
The wideman scored just 22 goals in almost 150 appearances for the Reds, and became increasingly marginalised under Rafa Benitez, Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish.
Former Liverpool winger Ryan Babel struggled to make an impact during his time in England
Ryan Babel scored for Fulham against his former side Liverpool last season but soon left
‘I wanted to develop well and – as they promised me back then before I joined – just to be given the guidance I needed to become a better player,’ Babel told The Guardian last year. ‘That didn’t happen and for a lot of different reasons I didn’t fulfil my potential I guess.’
The 32-year-old later experienced a turbulent one-season spell with UAE side Al-Ain, which ended after he was demoted to the reserves following a social media post seemingly criticising supporters, and eventually returned to the Premier League with Fulham last season.
But after the London outfit were relegated, Babel secured a move to Istanbul on a three-year deal and has since scored two goals this term in seven appearances.
Jean Michael Seri
Fulham flop Seri is currently spending the campaign on loan at Galatasaray from Craven Cottage, having been lambasted for his struggles last campaign following a big-money switch from Nice.
Having once been on the verge of a huge transfer to Barcelona, Seri eventually moved to London in a club-record £25million deal and was a regular under Slavisa Jokanovic, Claudio Ranieri and Scott Parker.
Fulham flop Jean Michael Seri is spending the season on loan in Turkey from the London side
Seri could not stop Fulham suffering relegation from the Premier League last season
But his performances in the centre of midfield were widely criticised following a meagre return of just one goal and two assists in 32 top-flight appearances, and Seri departed the club following their relegation.
Since joining Galatasaray on a one-year deal, which features an option to buy for £15.2m next summer, Seri has enjoyed a steady start to life at his new side. He has already netted his maiden goal in the Super Lig within his first three appearances, and has also featured twice in the Turkish outfit’s Champions League group stage campaign.
Steven Nzonzi
Nzonzi’s arrival at Roma from Sevilla last season was originally viewed as another shrewd piece of business from sporting director Monchi.
But the midfielder struggled to adjust to Eusebio Di Francesco’s style of play despite being part of France’s World Cup-winning squad, and was only able to slightly revive his confidence under successor Claudio Ranieri. And the arrival of the new man at the helm, Paulo Fonseca, Nzonzi was sidelined and openly floated on the transfer market.
Despite a return to his home nation appearing the most likely move, Nzonzi instead joined Galatasaray on loan and with an option to make the deal permanent.
Before his switch to Istanbul, the 30-year-old boasts 195 Premier League appearances during spells with Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City.
Steven Nzonzi struggled to fit into Paulo Fonseca’s system at Roma and was also loaned out
Nzonzi was a success as a defensive midfielder at both Blackburn and Stoke
Nzonzi had joined the former in 2009 from Amiens and rapidly established himself as a star performer under Sam Allardyce. In his first campaign, the midfielder was named as the club’s player of the season and subsequently penned a new five-year deal. However, the next term saw the Blackburn relegated and Nzonzi expressed his desire to leave.
He then ensured he would remain in the top flight by moving to Stoke, and Potters boss Tony Pulis expressed his belief that the Frenchman would one day play in the Champions League. But his spell in the West Midlands was soured by two consecutive transfer requests, both of which were rejected.
Nzonzi later forced through a transfer to Sevilla in a £7m deal, where he was a success. His performances in Turkey have already seen him linked with a move to Torino.
Sofiane Feghouli
Galatasaray’s clash with Genclerbirligi earlier this month was marred by Feghouli’s substitution. When the former West Ham winger was removed he headed straight to the dressing room, seemingly astonished at his manager’s decision.
The 29-year-old has struggled to repeat his performances from last season in Turkey, and is yet to score in the top flight this term. His reaction to his withdrawal hinted at mounting frustration, despite originally impressing following his switch from London in 2017.
Sofiane Feghouli had played an integral role in Galatasaray’s domestic treble last campaign
Feghouli previously had a forgettable spell at West Ham before leaving to no-one’s dismay
Feghouli had played an integral role in Galatasaray’s triumph in Super Lig last campaign, and the Turkish giants also clinched the domestic treble with the Algerian wideman often found in relentless form.
But the star had failed to impress after joining the Hammers from Valencia in 2016, and scored just three English top-flight goals in 21 appearances.
Mario Lemina
Former Juventus midfielder Lemina was shipped out to Galatasaray on loan after demanding to leave Southampton in the summer. The Gabonese international had openly revealed he wished to depart St Mary’s after two seasons in the Premier League, in a move which drew ire from large groups of the club’s supporters.
He had revealed to France Football: ‘As early as last year, I had set my conditions: I wanted to go elsewhere this summer. I had just decided to go to Southampton for two years, and see if I could take another step.’
Mario Lemina moved to Turkey on loan from Southampton on last day of the transfer window
Lemina clearly only saw Southampton as a stepping stone to a big move and forced his way out
Despite being the subject of enquiries from Manchester United, Arsenal and Leicester, Lemina instead switched to Istanbul on the final day of the transfer window, having attempted to force through a move throughout the entire summer.
In Turkey, the 26-year-old has made four appearances for his new side, and also declared on social media that he was ‘in love’ with the electric atmosphere at Galatasaray home games.
Florin Andone
Andone’s explosive departure from Brighton has almost certainly burnt the Romanian’s bridges with the seaside town and ensured a Premier League return is extremely unlikely.
After becoming frustrated with his limited opportunities at the Amex, Andone was loaned out to Galatasaray and revealed that he had been the architect behind the move. He even went as far as blaming former manager Chris Hughton for not playing him enough, and slammed Seagulls striker Glenn Murray whilst questioning why he hadn’t been afforded more opportunities to lead the line.
The 26-year-old had also attempted to downplay the severity of his challenge on Southampton’s Yan Valery, which had forced Paul Merson to describe the collision as ‘one of the worst tackles you will ever see’.
Florin Andone has struggled for game time since forcing through a switch from Brighton
Andone left Brighton in a blaze of bad feeling, having made little impact up front in England
With just four goals to his name in the English top flight, Andone left for Istanbul and is yet to net for his new side, albeit after making just two appearances so far.
But reports in the Turkish media have claimed that Galatasaray boss Fatih Terim may look to abandon Andone’s loan move in January after becoming frustrated with a handful of his summer acquisitions.