'Manchester City are favourites' - Ex-Bayern star Altintop on Guardiola, Thiago and dream Champions League final

Hamit Altintop puffs his cheeks out and lets out a sigh.

“Not bad, hey?” he grins. “Some good games, and some history too, no?”

The Champions League quarter-finals are here and, like the rest of us, the former Turkey international is excited.

It is Altintop, who played in the 2010 final for Bayern Munich and made numerous appearances in the competition with Schalke, Real Madrid and Galatasaray, who is responsible for this week’s mouth-watering match-ups. It was he, in his role as UEFA ambassador for the final in Istanbul, who drew the teams in Nyon last month.

“I’m very happy with the draw!” he tells Goal. “I think every football supporter likes these kind of games, and should be excited for them.”

The week gets underway with two crackers tonight, tournament favourites Manchester City taking on the dangerous Borussia Dortmund while Real Madrid and Liverpool, 19 European Cups between them, go head-to-head.

Then, on Wednesday, we have a repeat of last season’s final as Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain collide in Germany, while Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea face Porto, conquerors of Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus in the last 16.

Altintop, of course, would love to see Bayern and Real meet in May’s showpiece final in Istanbul. A talented and versatile midfielder, he spent four seasons in Bavaria, winning six major trophies before moving to Madrid for a year in 2011.

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His spell in Spain may have been short-lived, consisting of only a dozen appearances in total, but he retains a strong affection for Los Blancos , even if he accepts Zinedine Zidane’s team are currently some way off the side which dominated the Champions League not so long ago.

“They are a team with quality,” he says. “But not the big, creative quality they had some years ago with Cristiano and [Angel] Di Maria.

“Real has a different strategy now. They still have great players with [Karim] Benzema, [Sergio] Ramos, Thibaut Courtois. They have great midfielders with [Luka] Modric and Toni Kroos, playmakers with high quality and experience. But you miss a little bit in the front.

“They have Vinicius and young players like this, they have speed but not the experience and the consistency of a Cristiano, or even someone like [Gonzalo] Higuain who was there when I played at Real.

“It’s more about teamwork now, you can’t rely on Cristiano to score a hat-trick every week or two goals from Higuain, three assists from Di Maria, these kind of things! The scores now are more 1-0, 1-1, 2-1, you know?

“I know Spanish supporters are not really happy with Real Madrid, but with the quality of the team they have right now, they are not in such a bad position – the quarter-finals of the Champions League and still with a chance to win La Liga…”

How does he view the Liverpool game then?

“It’s big history, big culture, a real fire!” he smiles. “It’s a game I want to see, and all football fans will feel the same I’m sure.

“Both teams are not performing at their highest level this season, but we know that both have big history in this competition. Liverpool had some injuries which affected them this season, but you can never write them off in the Champions League!”

Altintop speaks glowingly about the development of his countryman Ozan Kabak – “he is in good shape, and his performance levels are going up,” – and believes Thiago Alcantara, one of his successors in Bayern Munich’s midfield, could hold the key for Jurgen Klopp’s team.

“He has had a difficult start, but it is always difficult for a player if the team is changing all the time, especially in the defence,” he says.

“Thiago has to play with the ball, not to be always running back towards his own goal. He’s a playmaker. But I think he can make the difference in the next months, maybe even against Madrid, with his quality and his experience.

“It was a very good transfer for Liverpool. Their problems have been team problems, not Thiago. You see when everyone was in good shape, the performance levels were as high as you can get. Now they miss one or two players, important players, and you can see the difference.”

As for Bayern, he fears for his former club without their 42-goal leading goalscorer Robert Lewandowski.

“That changes everything,” he says. “Before this news, I thought Bayern Munich over two games were of course favourites. But now, without him, it will be very interesting. And with Neymar back, then that will make it even more difficult.”

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What of Manchester City? The runaway Premier League leaders are the bookmakers’ favourites, though have stumbled in recent seasons against sides they were expected to overcome.

“I think that they are the favourite,” Altintop says. “Pep Guardiola has won every trophy except this one with them, so for him it will be extra special.

“He was always criticised for not winning the Champions League, and maybe he deserves it this season. They are favourites, or at least one of the two favourites!

“But don’t forget Chelsea! They are going well with their new head coach, eh? Thomas Tuchel is a great manager. He has that poker face. You don’t know what he’s thinking. He’s the opposite to Jurgen Klopp, who is very emotional. Tuchel, he is harder to read.”

Altintop says preparations for May’s final, which will be held in Istanbul’s Ataturk Stadium, are almost complete. He is hopeful that the game may even be able to accommodate as many as 35,000 supporters, too.

“It is possible,” he says. “We still have a little bit to do in these last weeks, to control things with the virus, and if we can do that then I believe that we will be able to play the final with minimum 50 per cent of supporters. I really think so.”

What a difference that would make to the occasion, hey?

“Absolutely,” he adds. “With fans, they are sometimes the difference. They are the ones who motivate you. Especially in something like a final. They can push you when you lose your power and your faith.

“Look at Liverpool in 2005 [when they beat Milan in the Ataturk]. Trust me, without fans there would be no way to change this game. But as everybody knows, Liverpool supporters played their part at half-time, always behind the team, always behind the club, and that gave [the players] the different motivation to come back.

“Supporters are more than a big part of this game.”

We finish our chat with the killer question. Who does he expect to see playing in the final come May 29?

“Can I answer after the first leg of the quarter-finals?!” he laughs. 

“No, no, I’ll tell you. I think the final will be Manchester City and Real Madrid.”

He pauses, before adding: “But I hope it is between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid!”