Liverpool head to Istanbul on Monday ahead of Tuesday's Champions League round of 16 first-leg clash at Rams Park
ISTANBUL, TURKIYE - MARCH 07: Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk speaks during a press conference after the Turkish Super Lig week 25 match between Besiktas and Galatasaray at Tupras Stadium in Istanbul, Turkiye, on March 07, 2026 (Photo by Hakan Akgun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk speaks during a press conference after the Turkish Super Lig match against Besiktas at Tupras Stadium in Istanbul on March 07, 2026(Image: Hakan Akgun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk believes his players were guilty of talking about Liverpool too much before their crucial Super Lig clash with rivals Besiktas.
The defending champions won 1-0 at Besiktas on Saturday thanks to a Victor Osimhen goal and despite seeing their former Manchester City winger Leroy Sane be sent off.
The win moved Galatasaray further clear of Fenerbahce at the top but afterwards Buruk criticised the pre-match chatter among his squad about Liverpool, who head back to Rams Park on Tuesday for a big Champions League round of 16 first-leg encounter.
"They were all talking about the Liverpool match before the derby game against Besiktas, which was a very important match in its own right," Buruk said.
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"Besiktas had claimed some good results against us so it was too early to think about Liverpool, we had to think about the league match first.
"The Liverpool match was one to think about after we'd got through the derby because we knew a victory in that game would mean we're much better prepared for Tuesday."
It is the second time this season that the Reds have made the trip to Galatasaray, who won 1-0 when the teams met in the league phase of the Champions League back in September.
Osimhen's penalty was the difference between the sides on that occasion but with Liverpool having recovered to finish third in the final standings, they will be favourites to progress over two legs and set-up a quarter-final showdown with either Chelsea or defending champions Paris Saint-Germain.
And Osimhen said: "Liverpool are a very big team. We'll be playing at home.
"If we are careful, we can do well, even if it's not easy. All matches in the Champions League are tough. We will fight to do well."
The Reds are sure to be given another hot reception with captain Virgil van Dijk joking after the 3-1 FA Cup win at Wolves on Friday that "our ears will be tested" by the deafening atmosphere in Turkey.
He said: “To get silverware is always our aim. I’ve been very privileged to experience so many good nights winning silverware with this beautiful club.
“That’s what we aim for. This season has obviously been very difficult for a lot of reasons and I said it from day one that it was going to be a very difficult season.
“We’re here now (Wolves), we made progress. But obviously now we are not doing well and we have to take that in our process. That’s what we did today, we played well, we won.
"Now we will focus on the Galatasaray match. Our ears will be tested again; it’s going to be a very difficult game."