Thiago concerned about Hakan Çalhanoğlu [divider]
Atletico Madrid midfielder Tiago admitted that he is concerned about Bayer Leverkusen star Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s set-piece ability ahead of their Champions League Last 16 first-leg game.
“But we have to be careful on set-pieces because we know they have a very qualified player in this aspect [Hakan],” Tiago told Goal.
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Çalhanoğlu was recently included in the Bild‘s Top 10 Best Bundesliga free-kick taker list and Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola has rated the 21-year-old as one of the best free-kick takers in the league.
“Çalhanoğlu is one of the best free-kick takers in the Bundesliga,” Guardiola told Hurriyet.
The Turkish international has scored seven direct free-kicks in the Bundesliga in his career.
Çalhanoğlu joined Bayer for €14.5 million this summer – the highest fee ever paid for a Turkish international.
The 21-year-old was named best young player of the 2013/14 season by leading German football magazine 11 Freunde.
The Turkish international has a total of eight goals and seven assists for Bayer in all competitions this season.
Atletico Madrid also have a reputation for being dangerous from set-pieces. The La Liga champions have scored 21 league goals from dead ball situations this season.
