LIVERPOOL VS. GALATASARAY
| Wednesday, March 18th |
Champions League, Round of 16 | Anfield
8PM BST/4PM EST
Galatasaray showed their highs and lows in the first leg, while Liverpool largely showed their lows. This opponent is a side that has a mistake in them, and one that can be pulled into disciplinary danger. A better version of the Reds would have shown more defensive organization and taken their chances early all while tempting at-risk opponents into yellows, but do have the chance to rectify the situation in a way they
could not rectify any previous slip-up.
Liverpool’s opponents are without Davinson Sanchez and Metehan Baltaci through suspension, while Enes Buyuk (shoulder) remains sidelined. Given their strength domestically, they were much more able to rotate in their 3-0 win at the weekend (including giving some starters an extra 10-20 minutes on the bench). Liverpool, in contrast, had much of their first team fighting and failing to defend a narrow lead.
Galatasaray have won just one in their 12 away games in England, beating Manchester United in October 2023 — though for our purposes it’s also worth noting that they have drawn three, but none of Liverpool’s European matches have ended in a draw in the last 30 outings.
Liverpool saw their opponents’ at their best in the first leg, and on paper have what it takes to make things right. The challenge this season is less in the skillset of opponents, unfortunately, and much more so in Liverpool’s willingness to be at their best when it matters.
Predicted Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)
Alisson; Frimpong, Konaté, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Ekitiké, Wirtz
Arne Slot has the same choices to make as ever, with a bit more pressure given the last two results. With the chance of extra time, choosing a starting XI with substitutions in mind make sense, and thus should Mohamed Salah be surprisingly benched at the start there may be less drama involved than you’d think. Slot has yet to really bench Alexis Mac Allister regardless of performance level, so he and Ryan Gravenberch are very likely to start in the midfield, and Florian Wirtz (whether he be deployed deeper or in the attacking three) is almost certain. Given the game’s importance as well as its extra time- and penalty-potential, unexpected choices should make some sense.
Joe Gomez is listed on the questionable column, and was not intended to play at the weekend: Gomez was already out of training when selected at the weekend because of Ibrahima Konaté’s hamstring issue. Gomez has not trained since and thus a late decision will be made tomorrow on the availability front. As such, we can presume Jeremie Frimpong will start if Dominik Szoboszlai is not selected out of position. Given the need for solidity and cohesiveness, it would be nice if players could start in their preferred position, but that does feel like much to ask for a Liverpool match this season.
Alexander Isak is not yet fit to start but is back out on the pitch, which is an encouraging sign. Hopefully the Swedish international can return to make an impact this season, even if Wednesday comes too early for him.
Liverpool have now lost two matches this season and more broadly three on the bounce against Galatasaray, but all three of those loses have been away … which feels meaningful. This is not to say improvement isn’t necessary; Anfield isn’t an advantage if the atmosphere is nervy and on edge rather than intimidating and raw.
This is not an insurmountable task, even if the mood in the fanbase isn’t great. The Reds have lost eight times in European competitions with a one-goal margin in the away first leg, and have come back to win on five occasions — most recently against Chelsea in 2006/07.
The Reds are usually better at Anfield than they have ever been away in Türkiye, and that is worth saying even if this particular iteration of Liverpool is increasingly hard to believe in. While the disappointing showing in the first leg is entirely in keeping with the equally depressing performance against a Spurs side that can’t seem to buy any points of late, an alternate narrative is that Liverpool struggled in a challenging away performance and then came in distracted (and perhaps a bit arrogant) against a bad Tottenham side lodged in before the second leg. That would be a charitable reading, and it is also perhaps more goodwill than this side has deserved over the course of the season.
But what is the point of following them and not having some hope? Maybe this is the time they finally return to seriousness? I don’t know man, I’m somewhat thankful I can’t watch this one — but it must be said that Liverpool do have the professional skillset and the experience to overcome a one-goal deficit at home in the Champions League.
The Managers Have Their Say
Arne Slot: “”We had our chances and we didn’t take them. That is also down to Galatasaray. They have a great energy in their team and they throw everything in front of the ball. They have a good mentality and strong defenders.”
Okan Buruk: “I believe in my players. I’m imagining in my mind how we give the absolute most we can offer and why we wouldn’t advance to the next round. It’s not just a very important night for Galatasaray, but for Turkish football as well.”
The Officials
Referee: Szymon Marciniak POL Assistants: Tomasz Listkiewicz POL, Adam Kupsik POL Fourth Official: Paweł Raczkowski POL VAR: Marco Di Bello ITA Assistant VAR: Daniele Chiffi ITA
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