Liverpool Must Overturn Turkish Trouble as Galatasaray Visit Anfield

The mood at Anfield is decidedly gloomy. Liverpool's recent jaunt through the Premier League has yielded precious little—just a single point from matches against Wolves and Spurs that ought to have been far more profitable. Sandwiched between those disappointments came a first-leg Champions League defeat in Istanbul, where Mario Lemina's early header proved decisive in a 1-0 loss that now demands a response.

Set-piece defending remains a stubborn problem for Slot's side, though there was a silver lining of sorts: the match could have spiralled into a rout. Both defences were leaky, yet Liverpool's wastefulness in front of goal means they've left themselves with genuine work to do.

Galatasaray shouldn't be dismissed lightly. They've already seen off Juventus in the playoff round, albeit via a curious route—a 5-2 demolition at home masked by a 3-0 thumping in Turin, with extra-time heroics booking their place. Currently perched seven points clear atop the Turkish league after a 3-0 home victory over Basaksehir, they arrive as genuine threats.

Team News and Expected Lineups

Slot's rotation gambit against Tottenham backfired spectacularly, so expect Mohamed Salah, Hugo Ekitike, and Ibrahima Konate to return to the starting XI. Joe Gomez's absence from Tuesday training suggests he won't feature, potentially opening the door for Jeremie Frimpong at right-back with Milos Kerkez possibly replacing Andy Robertson on the left.

Liverpool's likely formation reads: Alisson; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Ekitike.

Galatasaray will be without Davinson Sanchez through suspension, having collected one yellow card too many in the first leg. Enes Buyuk remains sidelined, while three further squad members cannot feature after missing the Champions League registration deadline. Viktor Osimhen, Baris Alper Yilmaz, and Noa Lang's front-line combination proved troublesome last week, meaning Leroy Sane may again start on the bench.

Galatasaray's expected XI: Cakir; Sallai, Singo, Bardakci, Jakobs; Torreira, Lemina; Yilmaz, Sara, Lang; Osimhen.

The Numbers Tell a Story

Liverpool's record against the Turkish side reads oddly: unbeaten across their first three Champions League meetings, they've now lost three on the bounce—though mercifully all three defeats came away from home. Galatasaray's record in England is dreadful, managing just one win from 12 away visits to English clubs across all competitions, that solitary triumph coming at Old Trafford in October 2023.

The statistics offer Liverpool hope. Only twice have they lost a Champions League knockout first leg and progressed, whilst Galatasaray's away form in the competition is alarming—20 defeats from their last 25 matches, with four losses in five knockout away games.

Mohamed Salah sits on 49 Champions League goals and could become the first African player to reach fifty. Virgil van Dijk has been directly involved in five goals this season, the most by a centre-back since Jerome Boateng's six in 2014-15.

The Betting Picture

The markets assume Liverpool will simply overpower their visitors and overturn the deficit. The Reds are priced at 1/3 to qualify, with Galatasaray at 21/10. Yet recent form hardly inspires complete confidence.

Osimhen represents a genuine threat—he scored when Galatasaray beat Liverpool in the league phase and narrowly had another ruled out for offside last week. The Nigerian is available at 12/5 to score anytime.

Liverpool's odds of 2/7 to win on the night reflect their status, though their defensive fragility makes backing them to win with both teams scoring at 29/20 the smarter play.

Dominic Szoboszlai has found the net four times in nine Champions League outings this season and six times in his last fourteen matches. The Hungarian is worth considering at 13/5 anytime goalscorer odds. A double on Osimhen and Szoboszlai pays around 10/1.

Match Details

Kick-off: 20:00 GMT, Wednesday, March 18 at Anfield. Coverage begins at 19:00 on TNT Sports 1 and Discovery+, with BBC Radio 5 Live providing full commentary.