Liverpool’s opponents Galatasaray are a perfect 7-0-0 in league play. But the Turkish Super League is Europe’s ninth ranked competition behind Belgium, Portugal, and the Netherlands and just ahead of the Czech league by UEFA’s coefficient based on European performances over the past five seasons.
Liverpool’s opponents Galatasaray were embarrassed 5-1 by Eintracht Frankfurt in their first Champions League match of the 2025-26 season. Frankfurt, though, look strong this season and are fourth in the Bundesliga,
and that match took place in Germany and not Galatasaray’s home Rams Park stadium.
Galatasaray have recognisable names in their squad, starting with marquee summer signing Victor Osimhen and including the likes of goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır, centre half Davinson Sánchez, midfielder İlkay Gündoğan, and forwards Mauro Icardi and Leroy Sané. Some, though, are clearly past their primes.
“Their loss against Frankfurt, I have watched that game and for me they were very, very, very unlucky,” said Liverpool manager Arne Slot when asked to judge the difficulty of his side’s upcoming opponents—something that seems to be not an especially easy task heading into tonight’s European meeting.
“In that game the chances they gave away were only small and it was either the quality of Frankfurt or little bit of bad luck for Galatasaray they conceded five because if they play the same game again, they will never concede five goals again in that same game because they played much better than the 5-1 showed.”
The proof will be in how the match actually plays out, but heading into it at least Slot expects Galatasaray’s league form to be a fairer representation of what he his side will have to be prepared to deal with—and that would make them one of the most difficult opponents Liverpool have in this year’s Champions League.
“You see now at the beginning of the season here, seven wins, only conceded two, scored a lot of goals,” he added. “So a very good team and a very good manager who has been so successful here as a player. They know what it takes to win the league to win a game of football, so we have to be prepared for that.”
