Two teams with very different starts to their Champions League campaigns will meet in Istanbul, where Galatasaray host Liverpool, a city that holds special memories for Liverpool fans.
Galatasaray’s 19th appearance in the competition, more than any other Turkish club, began poorly with a heavy 5-1 defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt. That result was a surprise given their strong domestic form, having lost only once in their last 19 games. However, they’ve struggled in Europe recently, with just one win in their last 18 Champions League outings.
Liverpool kicked off with a dramatic 3-2 win over Atlético Madrid. They followed that up with two more wins in all competitions, but their run was halted at the weekend after a last-minute 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace. Despite that, they’ll be confident going into this clash, having won 13 of their last 14 group stage matches in the competition.
In previous meetings between the two, each side has won once, with two matches ending in a draw. Galatasaray will take encouragement from their strong home record against English teams, losing only one of their last eight at home, while Liverpool have struggled in Turkey, winning just one of six away games there.
Galatasaray have scored first in their last 19 matches, and they’ve found the net twice or more in nine of their last 11 European home games. Liverpool’s last seven games have all been decided by just a single goal, and only one of their last 39 European away matches has ended in a draw.
All eyes will be on Victor Osimhen, who returned from injury at the weekend and needs just one more goal to become the first Nigerian to score ten in the Champions League proper. Mohamed Salah is also chasing history, needing two more goals to become the first African player to score 50 in Europe’s top competition.
Liverpool have had to replace Giovanni Leoni in their Champions League squad due to injury, bringing in Federico Chiesa as cover.
With both teams regularly finding the net in recent European games, there’s a strong chance this could be a high-scoring encounter, possibly with goals in both halves.
