Head coach Okan Buruk of Galatasaray. (Photo by Ahmad Mora/Getty Images)placeholder image
Head coach Okan Buruk of Galatasaray. (Photo by Ahmad Mora/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Liverpool face Galatasaray in the Champions League last 16 first leg at Rams Park.
Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk says that his side have to be aware of Liverpool’s set-piece threat during the Champions League showdown.
The Reds travel to Istanbul on Tuesday for the first leg of the last-16 tie. Liverpool have already played Galatasaray at Rams Park this season, suffering a 1-0 loss in the league phase of the competition. But Arne Slot’s side finished third in the European table and remain among the favourites to claim a seventh European Cup.
Turkish champions Galatasaray required the play-off round to reach the last 16, earning a 7-5 aggregate win against Juventus.
Liverpool have made improvements since the last meeting with Gala and have been a potent threat from set-pieces in recent weeks. But their troubles at defending dead-ball scenarios this season have been well documented and that is something Buruk reckons could be exposed.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, he said: “When the first eight matches were determined, Bodø/Glimt looked like the easiest team, and now they're in the last 16. We managed to eliminate Juventus, the favorite of the previous round. Now it's the favorite Liverpool. Every match is experience, and the second match against Juventus was experience for us, too.
“They played here, they know us better. It was a significant experience for them. Looking at Liverpool's position in the league, the Champions League is much more important for them. They will come here with a different mindset than in the group matches
"They're very good at set pieces, especially with players like Van Dijk who are highly effective in attacking set pieces. They have five good, tall players, we'll need to take precautions against this. We'll work on it. Liverpool is a team that concedes quite a few goals from offensive set-piece transitions.”
Liverpool aim to bring a positive result back to Merseyside for next week’s return clash. The Reds already have an advantage, with UEFA banning Galatasaray fans for the Anfield encounter because of crowd disturbance during their second-leg clash against Juventus last month.
Buruk confirmed that the club have appealed the ‘unfair’ penalty. He said: “We have appealed the penalty imposed by UEFA. I think it will be announced today. I don't find it fair either. It's not fair to look at it just from the fans' perspective. How the police behave there is also very important.”
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