Turkish giants Fenerbahçe welcome six-time European champions Liverpool to the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium on Wednesday night for a high-stakes UEFA Champions League Matchday 4 encounter, with interim manager Dirk Kuyt leading a depleted side amid ongoing managerial negotiations.
Following the departure of İsmail Kartal last week—whose resignation had previously been rejected after a 1–1 draw with Roma—Kuyt took charge for Saturday’s 2–1 Süper Lig defeat to Göztepe. With former Porto manager Sérgio Conceição strongly linked with the permanent role in Kadıköy, Fenerbahçe enter Wednesday’s clash in fragile form, having managed just one victory from their last five matches and holding a mere two points from three Champions League outings.
Liverpool travel to Istanbul looking to bounce back from a disappointing 1–0 Premier League defeat to Arsenal at Anfield, where Kai Havertz’s early strike snapped an impressive rebound run for Andoni Iraola’s side. However, the Reds maintain a flawless European record this term, having secured back-to-back victories over LASK (6–3) and Villarreal (4–3) to sit perfect with nine points in the league phase.
Fenerbahçe’s selection problems have deepened significantly in defense. Ghanaian center-back Kojo Oppong has been ruled out after limping off against Göztepe, joining Nathan Aké, Jayden Oosterwolde, El Hadji Diouf, and Marco Asensio on the sidelines. Marquee summer signing Mason Greenwood remains a doubt due to illness, forcing Kuyt to deploy 21-year-old Yiğit Efe Demir alongside Milan Škriniar in a makeshift backline.
For Liverpool, Iraola is expected to rotate his midfield and attacking options. Dominik Szoboszlai is tipped to return to the starting lineup in place of Trey Nyoni, while summer arrival Víctor Muñoz pushes for a start on the flank alongside Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak.
Team News & Predicted Lineups
Fenerbahçe (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Nélson Semedo, Milan Škriniar, Yiğit Efe Demir, Archie Brown; N’Golo Kanté, Mattéo Guendouzi; Oğuz Aydın, İrfan Can Kahveci, Kerem Aktürkoğlu; Vedat Muriqi.
Unavailable: Kojo Oppong (Injured), Nathan Aké (Injured), Jayden Oosterwolde (Injured), El Hadji Diouf (Injured), Marco Asensio (Injured).
Doubtful: Mason Greenwood (Illness).
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Ronald Araújo, Jérémy Jacquet, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez; Alexis Mac Allister,Dominik Szoboszlai; Bradley Barcola, Florian Wirtz, Víctor Muñoz; Alexander Isak.
Unavailable: Giovanni Leoni (Injured), Conor Bradley (Injured), Jeremie Frimpong (Injured), Hugo Ekitike (Injured).