Galatasaray vs Liverpool preview: Team news, likely lineups, score prediction
Liverpool are looking to get back on track with a trip to Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League.
Liverpool stumbled to a 2-1 defeat at Crystal Palace, where Federico Chiesa’s late equaliser wasn’t enough as Eddie Nketiah scored in the 97th minute to secure all three points for the Eagles.
It was a deserved sting in the teeth for Arne Slot, as Liverpool were poor throughout the game at Selhurst Park and relied on Alisson to keep them in the game for large parts.
Liverpool now need to dust themselves down ahead of a crucial week, starting with a daunting trip to Turkey to face Galatasaray on Tuesday.
Form guide – all competitions
Galatasaray: WWLWW
Liverpool: LWWWW
Team news
Alexander Isak is set to be back on the bench for the trip to Turkey, with Hugo Ekitike likely to be reinstated on his return from suspension.
Ekitike missed the trip to South London after getting sent off against Southampton, meaning Isak was forced to play 85 minutes in his first Premier League start of the season.
Cody Gakpo is also likely to be restored after coming on as a second-half substitute against Palace, while Dominik Szoboszlai could feature at right-back after both Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong struggled at Selhurst Park.
For Galatasaray, the big news is that Victor Osimhen is in contention to start against the Reds.
Osimhen had missed three games since the international break with an ankle injury, but made his return off the bench during the Turkish Champions’ 1-0 victory at Alanyaspor on Friday.
Leroy Sane is also in contention to start against the Reds, against whom he had a great record during his spell at Manchester City, scoring four times.
Likely lineups
Galatasaray: Cakir; Singo, Sanchez, Bardakci, Elmali; Torreira, Sara; Sallai, Sane, Yilmaz; Osimhen
Liverpool: Alisson; Szoboszlai, Van Dijk, Konate, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Jones, Wirtz; Salah, Ekitike, Gakpo
Prediction – Galatasaray 0-2 Liverpool
Galatasaray may have been thrashed in their Champions League opener away at Eintracht Frankfurt, but they are a different beast when backed by their home crowd at RAMS Park.
Both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United have gone there in the last two seasons and struggled to deal with the atmosphere, so Liverpool will need to be on top form to come away from Turkey unscathed.
Ultimately, however, Liverpool possesses far more quality than their Turkish counterparts, and will have a point to prove after the abysmal performance at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
If the Reds can get through the first 20-30 minutes without conceding, then they should be able to make easy work of this tie and collect another three points.
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