Image Credits: Imago Images
The Champions League Round of 16 draw took place in Nyon, Switzerland today as Liverpool finally discover their first knockout opponents in this season’s edition
The Reds secured automatic passage from the new league phase into the last 16 from finishing in the top eight.
And as their reward, the club have been given a tough clash against Galatasaray in the round of 16. The two clubs have already met once this season, with a Victor Osimhen penalty deciding the clash.
The Nigerian striker actually spoke about facing Arne Slot’s men earlier this week, saying:
“I mean to be honest with you, meeting Liverpool now is going to be like some sort of revenge,” he said live on CBS Sports. ” Anyone we meet now… I wouldn’t say much but I would like to escape Liverpool.”
“But if they come, yeah, we’re going to dig it out but it’s not going to be easy. I mean, this is the Champions League. No team is easy; we can see how flying Bodo/Glimt are really doing in this tournament.”
“If you want to win, you also have to play the big dogs and make a statement for yourself.”
“We’ve met Liverpool, but we haven’t played at Anfield. If we meet them, it’s going to be an amazing game. I think we’re up to the task, it’s not going to be easy, of course, but we have fight in us.”
It has been reported that the Reds are due to be away from home for the first leg on either 10 or 11 March, before bringing the tie back to Anfield on 17 or 18 March. However, the dates and times still need to be confirmed.
UEFA are set to release a full fixture list complete with time and dates later this Friday evening.
Off the pitch, the draw will spark the usual scramble among supporters as fans start plotting potential trips and circling the key dates in their calendars. Anfield is guaranteed at least one more major European night under the lights, and the club will hope that this tie becomes another chapter in a long history of knockout classics on Merseyside.
Meanwhile, Cody Gakpo has revealed that he feels winning the Champions League is still an attainable goal this season:
“We’re still in the Champions League and in the FA Cup, so if you speak about winning things, if we could win the Champions League and the FA Cup and reach top four, I don’t want to say it would be a better season than last season, but then it would be an amazing season as well,'” he said to liverpoolfc.com
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