Liverpool’s trip to Istanbul to face Galatasaray in the Round of 16 of the Champions League marks the second meeting of the two sides this season after a league phase clash that saw the Reds defeated 1-0 away in one of the only two losses of the initial rounds of the 2025-26 edition of the competition.
On paper, it’s a tie the Reds should be eager for given Galatasaray are one of only two sides left in the knockout rounds—along with FK Bodø/Glimt—with a net negative goal differential and expected
goals differential, but that earlier defeat will be at the back of many minds heading into the two-legged rematch.
“We knew them already well and after playing them we know them better,” Liverpool head coach Arne Slot said ahead of the match. “So now before playing them again you watch even more games and I have a lot of respect for Galatasaray, for their manager. He’s been so successful, won so much with the club.
“They have quality players that can fight and they will have the fans behind them, so we need to be so, so good to bring a result back to Anfield and that’s what we’re going to try. Last time when we played there was not a lot between us, in open play I think we were quite similar, but we lost on a penalty.”
In that first meeting back in the league phase in the autumn, Galatasaray somewhat controversially had a close penalty call upheld while Liverpool had one overturned. The result at the time felt unfair for Slot’s Reds, but the goal this time will be to play well enough the officiating can’t make a difference.
“They have a very good team and we have a very good team,” Slot added. “So are we happy to play against them? No, but there’s not one team you would prefer to play in the last 16 because they are all good teams. So we’ve already lost against them, which tells you how difficult of a game it is for us.
“The good thing this time is that we play two games where in the group stage we only played away. Now we also have a chance to play in front of our own fans, which will be hard for Galatasaray. But we know the quality they have, even more than last time, and that it will be a challenge for us tomorrow.”
