Galatasaray Okan Buruk feels his side takes an extra edge into next week’s clash at Anfield besides the 1-goal lead.
Galatasaray’s win in Istanbul has blown this tie wide open and ensured there will be a real edge to the return game under the Anfield lights next week Wednesday.
The Turkish champions are facing a strict UEFA ban that has shut down their travelling support out of the second leg altogether.
Those measures, imposed after crowd trouble in their play‑off tie against Juventus, have sparked anger in Istanbul and prompted the club to launch a formal challenge in a bid to get their fans back into the stadium.
The Turkish giants were originally sanctioned with a €40,000 fine and prohibited from selling away tickets for the second leg on Merseyside, following serious crowd disturbances, object‑throwing and pyrotechnics during their last‑16 play‑off clash with Juventus in Turin on 25 February.
That decision meant no Gala fans would be allowed inside Anfield on March 18 – a huge blow for a club whose identity is so closely tied to its raucous, travelling ultras.
However, Galatasaray Okan Buruk still feels his side takes an extra edge for next week’s clash besides the 1-goal lead.
Speaking to the media after the win in Istanbul on Tuesday night, Buruk pointed out that Galatasaray will have a day’s extra rest compared to Liverpool – with his side playing Istanbul Basaksehir on Saturday while Liverpool only play on Sunday evening:
“Now they have a match against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. We will play on Saturday. So we will have an extra chance to rest one day. Our opponent will play us in three days. We will see what happens in the second match, but as I said, we will do our best. Hopefully, we will be the team that makes it to the last eight.
“I was a little worried about yellow cards, but there was no such situation. In fact, Davinson Sánchez was shown a card in a position that was not a yellow card. Maybe it was even a position that could be discussed whether it was a foul or not. Frankly, I thought the referee wanted to show someone a yellow card in this match. That’s how I interpreted it.”
“Apart from that, there was no serious card problem for our players. Now we will play a match in the league. The league is also very important and valuable for us. We will play in four days and this is an advantage for us.”
For all Buruk’s talk of fine margins, comments like these will only add a little extra spice to an already finely poised tie. Liverpool will feel they’ve heard this kind of thing before at Anfield – and they usually have an answer when it matters most. But with the Galatasaray boss publicly insisting the schedule hands his side an “advantage”, there’s no doubt he believes the Turks are heading to Merseyside with more than just hope on their side.
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