Liverpool return to Istanbul on Tuesday night to begin their Champions League knockout campaign against Galatasaray. The Reds face familiar opponents, having lost 1-0 to the Turkish champions earlier this season after Victor Osimhen converted an early penalty.
That defeat came on matchday two, but Liverpool recovered to finish the league phase strongly, securing automatic progression to the round of 16 following a dominant win over Qarabag.
Their recent form has been mixed, with a FA Cup victory over Wolves offset by a surprise defeat to the Premier League’s bottom club four days earlier.
Galatasaray, meanwhile, arrive in high spirits after defeating Juventus 7-5 on aggregate in a thrilling play-off and following a win over rivals Besiktas.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot faces selection challenges, most notably with Alisson Becker ruled out after experiencing discomfort in training.
Federico Chiesa also misses the trip, having not trained on Monday. Alexis Mac Allister, who was injured against Wolves after a challenge from Hwang Hee-chan, has recovered sufficiently to be in the squad, though his involvement against Galatasaray remains uncertain.
Alexander Isak, Wataru Endo, Conor Bradley, and Giovanni Leoni are all sidelined. New signing Mor Talla Ndiaye, who joined from FC Amitie in January, has been recovering from a minor issue discovered during his medical.
He is now in full training and is expected to feature before the end of the season, according to Liverpool U21s coach Rob Page. Page explained to This Is Anfield: “We’ve got Mor coming back in. Mor’s training with us every day now so we’ll build his fitness up gradually and hopefully we’ll get to see him in the next couple of weeks.”
James McConnell is also back in outdoor training and edging closer to a first-team return. The 21-year-old returned to Liverpool in January after a relatively unsuccessful loan spell at Ajax.
McConnell made just seven appearances for Ajax and required minor surgery upon his return to Merseyside. Page added: “Macca’s had his first day back on grass yesterday.”
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