Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt will return to a familiar stage on Wednesday, but from the opposite side.
The former Liverpool forward will sit in the Fenerbahce dugout when his old club visit Istanbul for a Champions League league-phase game.
Kuyt scored 71 goals in 285 appearances for Liverpool between 2006 and 2012. He also scored in the 2006/07 Champions League final defeat to AC Milan.
Liverpool arrive in Turkey after a setback of their own. Arsenal won 1-0 at Anfield on Sunday through Kai Havertz’s 16th-minute goal, Liverpool’s second defeat under Andoni Iraola.
It was Arsenal’s first win at Anfield since September 2012. Their previous visit, in August 2025, ended in a 1-0 Liverpool win through Dominik Szoboszlai’s 83rd-minute free-kick, in a game that had been heading for a fourth successive draw at Anfield.
Kuyt prepares for the reunion after only one game in charge, and it went badly.
Fenerbahce lost 2-1 at home to Goztepe on Saturday, leaving them with one win in their last five games in all competitions. They have won five of their ten Super Lig games this season.
Fenerbahce named Kuyt interim coach after Ismail Kartal resigned, a day after the club’s 2-1 league defeat to Galatasaray. Kuyt had joined the club as Kartal’s assistant in June.
Fenerbahce were six points behind leaders Galatasaray after that derby. Galatasaray beat Konyaspor 4-0, and the gap grew to nine points after Saturday’s loss.
Fenerbahce are fifth on 16 points, while Galatasaray lead with 25.
“We want to apologise to our fans because they deserve much more,” Kuyt said after his first game in charge. “But at the same time, the fans also know the situation we are in.”
“We tried to bring good energy back into training. We believed we could get a good result today, but it is very clear to see that we can be very fragile at times,” Kuyt continued.
Fenerbahce are 31st in the league phase with two points from three matches, while Liverpool have won all three of theirs. Fenerbahce drew 2-2 with Slavia Prague on matchday three and lost 6-0 at Aston Villa on 14 October.
Kuyt knows Fenerbahce well. He played for the club for three years after leaving Liverpool in 2012 and won the Super Lig title in 2014.
🎥 Dirk Kuyt’un Göztepe maçı sonrası açıklamaları:
🎙️ “Taraftarlarımızdan özür diliyorum.”
🎙️ “Her şeyi yapmaya çalıştık ama olmadı.”
🎙️ “Kolay bir hafta olmadı.”
🎙️ “İlk yarıda %72’den fazla top bizdeydi. Kontrol bizdeydi.”
🎙️ “Ancak takımın üzerinde baskı var.”
🎙️ “Takımın kırılgan olduğunu görebiliyoruz.”
🎙️ “Bundan daha iyisini yapabiliriz.”
🎙️ “Gelecekte de böyle olacak.”
— FutbolArena (@futbolarena) October 31, 2026
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Liverpool Manager Andoni Iraola
Liverpool Manager Andoni Iraola