Liverpool are a goal down from the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash against Galatasaray
Dominik Szoboszlai, Mohamed Salah and Milos Kerkez head out for training
Dominik Szoboszlai, Mohamed Salah and Milos Kerkez head out for training(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Anfield under the lights and a deficit to overcome in a European knockout tie. Stop us if you've heard this one before.
From Saint-Etienne to Barcelona, Liverpool's rich continental history has been built on nights when comebacks have been staged and odds have been overcome, but as Galatasaray come to town holding a one-goal advantage in the last-16 of the Champions League things seem rather different.
The sound of fans booing the team off after Sunday's disappointing 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield has led to even more introspection in a season that has been full of it, and while the Turkish champions might not represent the toughest of European opponents to overcome on a night when no visiting fans are allowed in, the feelings coming into the game are somewhat mixed to say the least as the pressure grows on Arne Slot.
So will Liverpool do it? Can they come from 1-0 down, get past Galatasaray and reach the last eight? We asked our writers what they think.
Ian Doyle
Normally there wouldn't be any fear for Liverpool facing the prospect of having to overturn a one-leg deficit at home against a team outside of Europe's leading leagues.
These, though, are not usual times. And there will rightly be trepidation among supporters when they trek up to Anfield this evening.
Comebacks aren't as regular as you might think. Liverpool have lost first legs against Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid (twice) and Atalanta in the last six years, and were eliminated on each occasion, three primarily due to the result at home.
Arne Slot's side appear devoid of confidence and cohesion, but it they and the Anfield crowd can work together then things might become more difficult for Galatasaray, whose only obvious weakness in recent European matches has been the tendency to panic at the back.
Certainly, the Reds should look at how the Turkish side were lucky to escape after folding in Juventus in the play-off round and look to exploit them in the same manner.
Can Liverpool do it? Of course they can. Will they do it? That's not to certain. If they do, nobody expects it to be done easily. And nor should it. This is the Champions League round of 16, after all.
Mark Jones
That Liverpool haven't been past the last-16 of the Champions League since the Paris final of 2022 might have been viewed as something of an anomaly until recently. Not much to worry about, just a bit of bad luck and a couple of difficult draws.
But given the struggles of this season and the battle the Reds now find themselves in to even qualify for the tournament again, things are now coming into sharp focus.
Suddenly the club's position among the European elite is up for debate, and nights like this one, once viewed as opportunities to demonstrate the togetherness between crowd, team and manager, become fraught, fractious occasions where everyone is on edge.
It is tempting to say that an early goal would settle nerves, but would it? Indeed, would a second? If Liverpool are 2-0 up when the fourth official's board goes up at the end of 90 minutes you'll be able to cut the tension at Anfield with a knife. The concession of 10 goals on 90 minutes and beyond can do that to people.
So, will it be done? One thing for certain is that the Reds will have the chances to win the game and the tie, and it will all come down to whether or not they take them.
Focus, then, is likely to be on Hugo Ekitike and Mohamed Salah should both return to the starting line-up as expected, with the duo left on the bench from the start of the Tottenham Hotspur clash after difficult nights in Istanbul, where Salah was anonymous and Ekitike missed a golden chance.
If those two - two players who 'haven't connected' according to Peter Crouch - can turn up then Liverpool should do too, and the Reds should get job done. The word should is doing quite a lot of heavy lifting there though.
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