Liverpool travel to face Galatasaray for the first leg of the Round of 16 Champions League knock-out tie at Rams Park on Tuesday evening.
Liverpool head to Istanbul knowing their Champions League last‑16 tie with Galatasaray could be shaped just as much by absentees and yellow cards as by tactics and form on the night. Arne Slot’s side arrive in good shape performance‑wise, but both camps have reasons to tread carefully ahead of next week’s Anfield return.
Liverpool are expected to keep things as close as possible to the XI that saw off Wolves to reach the FA Cup quarter‑finals, but Slot’s options are still trimmed in key areas.
Alexander Isak is continuing his recovery from a serious leg and ankle injury suffered in December, with his return only expected around late March or early April.
In midfield, Wataru Endo faces “a long time” out after ankle surgery and will not feature in this tie. At the back, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni are both long‑term absentees after knee and ACL operations respectively, ruling them out for the remainder of the season.
Suspension risks for both sides
Liverpool has one immediate concern on the disciplinary front. Curtis Jones is on two yellow cards in this season’s Champions League and would be banned for the second leg if booked again in Istanbul, with UEFA’s amnesty on bookings only kicking in after the quarter‑finals.
Galatasaray’s situation is far more precarious. The Liverpool Echo report that seven players are currently on two cautions and would also miss the game at Anfield with another booking, including goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir, defenders Ismail Jakobs, Davinson Sanchez and Abdulkerim Bardakci, as well as Roland Salai and Victor Osimhen; January loan signing Noa Lang also sits on two bookings collected earlier in the competition.
With so many Gala players one mistimed tackle away from a ban, Liverpool know that keeping the tempo high and forcing duels could pay off not just on the night, but when the tie comes back to a packed – and Galatasaray‑fan‑free – Anfield.
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