Image Credits: Imago Images
Liverpool endured another frustrating evening in Istanbul, losing 1-0 to Galatasaray in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie.
Mario Lemina scored the only goal after seven minutes, while Ibrahima Konate had a second-half equaliser controversially ruled out for handball following a lengthy VAR review.
The result leaves Arne Slot’s side needing to overturn the deficit in the second leg at Anfield next Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in four years.
“We have to fight, we have to deserve it. We have to earn the next round,” said Van Dijk post-match. “Next week obviously is the decider.
“We’re at home but we have to show that we want and deserve to go through, first and foremost, in the way we play, defend and attack. “You have to earn the right. You have to fight for it, the challenges, second-ball fight.
“In games we have been showing that and in some games we have been lacking, and that’s why we have been inconsistent unfortunately.
“But that’s something we want to improve and aim for. If we want to go through to the next round, we definitely have to show that on Wednesday. Those are the main things and together in our house, home and our fans, we hopefully can make it an amazing evening.”
Florian Wirtz made his first start for Liverpool on Tuesday since returning from injury. He was signed last summer in a record £116million transfer from Bayer Leverkusen.
Wirtz, who is the most valuable Reds player, has started contributing with goals and assists, though his current €130.4m (£112.6m) valuation still falls slightly below his transfer fee.
CIES Football Observatory has revealed that the combined value of Liverpool’s entire squad now stands at €1.046bn. This places them as the seventh-most valuable team in world football, behind Chelsea (€1.73bn), Manchester City (€1.6bn), Real Madrid (€1.54bn), Barcelona (€1.389bn), Arsenal (€1.348bn), and Paris Saint-Germain (€1.346bn).
While Liverpool trail some Premier League rivals in squad value, they remain well ahead of Manchester United (€829m) and Tottenham Hotspur (€897m).
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