TO THE compulsory question, the obligatory answer. What sort of atmosphere might Chelsea anticipate in Istanbul? “Hell,” replies the captain of Fenerbahce.

Alexsandro de Souza had almost been ready to let it rest there, on the timeworn idea that the most daunting thing about a trip to Turkey for any team travelling west to east would be the shrill force of the crowd, the firecrackers, the fans with sinister grins who run imaginary knives across their throats and hang banners along the lines of “Welcome to Hell!” But Alex - he is known by his shorter name - thought longer.

“I was talking about it with my teammate Roberto Carlos,” he said, “and we’ve both played in a lot of different countries. He reckons in Scotland you get a pretty strong crowd. I’ve played big games in Brazil and a lot in Europe, and what we have at Fenerbahce transmits itself to the players like nothing else. They make a lot of noise, they don’t give up on the team and they are the best fans in the world.”

The affection is mutual. Fenerbahce fans love Alex and across Turkey, even followers of rivals Galatasaray and Besiktas often agree that this Brazilian is the finest footballer in their league. A serial winner of the country’s Player of the Year awards, the question Alex is most often posed is why he, owner of nearly 50 caps for Brazil, has not found a job with one of the leaders of La Liga, Serie A or the Premier League? “Saying things like that is not fair on Fenerbahce,” he replies, “this is a big club with a great ambition to grow. I am talented enough to play in maybe a stronger domestic league than here, but it was Fenerbahce who put faith in me at the right time.”

Even at 30, he is not short of experts championing his case. Tostao, the influential veteran of Brazil’s celebrated 1970 team, identifies Alex as the modern player most like himself. Zico, Fenerbahce’s Brazilian coach, calls Alex “the most intelligent footballer I have come across”.

Yet Fenerbahce’s most important footballer moves with grace rather than bolts of lightning. Once Chelsea identify his threat as the most likely to inflict damage in Wednesday’s quarter-final, they may choose, like others, to assign a specific sentry to mark him. “It tends to happen in the Champions League,” says Alex. “It was Christian Poulsen in the last round against Sevilla and against Inter, Esteban Cambiasso spent the game chasing me up and down. Against PSV Eindhoven, Timmy Simons did a really close marking job. You have to just make sure you’re movement is good, and others are moving for you, too.

Alex has an excellent left foot, a strong right and a tidy goalscoring record for a No 10. His best moments often come from his precise delivery of corners and free kicks. This season he has 14 goals so far, and is credited with providing the final pass for a further 20, from 35 games. On Wednesday, above the din at the Sukru Saracoglu, Alex will tell his colleagues they must make the home leg count. “We know Chelsea were pleased to draw us rather than any other team except perhaps Schalke. “Some of us remember how good Nicolas Anelka was when he was here and fit and maybe he won’t even get in their team.”

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TV match Fenerbahce v Chelsea Wednesday, Sky Sports 3, 7.30pm, kick-off 7.45pm