Liverpool are starting their knockout journey in the UEFA Champions League with a big away match against Galatasaray on Tuesday.
Both sides have met earlier in the group stage with Galatasaray ending up 1-0 winners on that night. Unlike Liverpool, Galatasaray didn’t make it directly to round of 16 but they defeated European heavyweights Juventus in the playoff. They are also coming into the game top of the Turkish league having defeated derby rivals BeÅŸiktaÅŸ 1-0.
It’s a tough fixture for Liverpool, who have been inconsistent in the Premier League but much better in the Champions League.
Here’s everything you need to know about the match:
How to watch
The match will be broadcast on Tuesday on TNT Sports 1 in the UK, CBS/Paramount+ in the U.S., SonyLIV in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN’s live updates.
Key Details
Kick-off time: Tuesday, March 10 at 5:45 p.m. GMT (12:45 p.m. ET; 11:15 p.m. IST, and 4:45 a.m. AEDT, Wednesday)
Venue: Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex
Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano
VAR: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez
Team news
Galatasaray
Metehan Baltacı, D: suspended
Enes Emre Buyuk, GK: shoulder, OUT
Liverpool
Alexander Isak, F: ankle, OUT
Conor Bradley, D: knee, OUT
Wataru Endo, M: ankle, OUT
Giovanni Leoni, D: knee, OUT
Stefan Bajcetic, M: hamstring, OUT
Talking Points
Should Slot start with Ngumoha on the left?
After Rio Ngumoha impressed in the two games against Wolves, the first one in the Premier League where he came on as a substitute and then in the FA Cup where he started, the big question for Slot is should the winger start in a big Champions League away fixture?
Against Wolves in the FA Cup, Ngumoha was outstanding on the left while Cody Gakpo, who usually plays from that side, shifted to the centre and combined well with the attackers. It’s likely that Hugo Ekitike will return as a centre forward against Galatasaray which then leaves Ngumoha and Gakpo as options from the left. Slot usually prefers his senior players in big matches, which then favours Gakpo. Ngumoha could be the next big thing for Liverpool but for now, considering his age and inexperience, he’s not a guaranteed starter. If he indeed starts, it would be a bold move from Slot, away from his usual pragmatic team selection method.
Galatasaray’s potent attack against Liverpool’s feeble defence
Victor Osimhen, Baris Alper Yilmaz, Leroy Sané and Gabriel Sara have been outstanding for their team in both the league and Champions League. They scored eight goals in the two-legged playoff against Juventus; their attacking prowess helped them to qualify for the round of 16. They also played Liverpool in the earlier group stage and defeated them thanks to Osimhen’s penalty.
Liverpool’s defence has been ordinary all season. Slot would know that one more off-day would prove very costly in the Champions League. There is where Liverpool will need their captain and defensive mainstay Virgil van Dijk at his absolute best.
Liverpool need more energy in the midfield
Last season when Liverpool became the champions, their midfield dynamism clearly stood out with the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones providing the right mix of intensity and creativity. This season, apart from Szoboszlai, the midfielders suffered from inconsistency.
Fitness and injury issues played their part for sure. Szoboszlai had to shift to right back position too many times this season which meant the midfield was bereft of energy. If Slot wants this season to resemble some sort of success in cup competitions, he needs his midfield buzzing again. The good news is things worked for the team in the Champions League and the midfielders’ performances have been better in this competition compared to Premier League. Still, there’s a lot to be done — Mac Allister, Gravenberch and Jones cannot afford more bad games.
Liverpool also need to overcome the Galatasaray atmosphere
Liverpool not only have to overcome the frightening attack of Galatasaray but also their intimidating stadium atmosphere. It’s not exactly a secret that the home team enjoys fervent support at Istanbul’s Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex where even the best European teams find it hard to endure.
Slot has been thinking about it since his side has faced it once already in the season, and they lost the match.
2:43
Slot: Perfect response from Liverpool after midweek loss
Arne Slot reacts to his sides FA Cup victory over Wolves following their Premier League defeat to them earlier in the week.
“We have good players as you just mentioned. But the whole atmosphere makes it completely different from any other away game I’ve ever played. So, it’s every time when we had the ball, the noise, the whistling is that hard that sometimes you wonder if this could be done by human people,” he said to TNT Sports after the Wolves game. “It’s so hard, it’s from the start till the end. The noise is even harder than when they score a goal.”
What do the numbers say?
Galatasaray have won two and lost two of their four previous UEFA two-legged ties against English opposition while Liverpool have triumphed in two and suffered defeat in one of their three such ties against Turkish teams.
Osimhen scored the winner when these sides met on Matchday 2, and his 16 goals in his first 25 Champions League appearances rank him second among African players at that mark, behind Serhou Guirassy‘s 18.
Liverpool have triumphed in just one of their previous seven UEFA competition matches away against Turkish sides (D1, L5) — a 2-1 victory at Trabzonspor in the second leg of the 2010/11 Europa League qualifying playoffs.
Liverpool have won the away leg in nine of their previous 12 Champions League Round of 16 ties (L3).
