Arne Slot’s Liverpool head to Galatasaray on Tuesday as they face a tricky trip in the UEFA Champions League a few days after suffering defeat at Crystal Palace.
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That shock defeat, which came with basically the last kick of the game, was a wake-up call for Slot as his side had won five games in a row to start the Premier League but hadn’t been at their best as they kept scoring late winners. They did that at home against Atletico Madrid in the opening game of the Champions League league phase two weeks ago too, and Liverpool will want to score a few early to silence the incredible home crowd in Istanbul.
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As for the reigning Turkish champions, Galatasaray have won all seven of their opening games in the Turkish Super Lig but they were hammered 5-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt in their Champions League opener. They have plenty of superstars in Victor Osimhen, Ilkay Gundogan, Leroy Sane, Mauro Icardi and Baris Yilmaz but head coach Okan Buruk knows they are the heavy underdogs in this game, and to advance into the knockout rounds of the Champions League.
For live updates and highlights throughout Galatasaray vs Liverpool, check out PST’s live blog coverage below.
How to watch Galatasaray vs Liverpool live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 3pm ET Tuesday (September 30)
Venue: RAMS Park — Istanbul, Turkiye
TV Channel/Streaming: Paramount+
Galatasaray team news, focus
There are plenty of familiar players starring for Galatasaray with Icardi, Sane and Yilmaz their main creative talents in attack and Victor Osimhen has featured off the bench in recent weeks as he has just recovered from injury. In midfield the likes of Mario Lemina and Lucas Torreira will feature heavily, while Davinson Sanchez will start at center back and Gundogan will be useful off the bench. Galatasaray’s heavy defeat at Frankfurt seems like a bit of a freak result and they should not be underestimated. Especially at home.
Liverpool team news, focus
It will be intriguing to see if Slot shakes things up after the defeat at Palace. Liverpool were all over the place defensively and the likes of Joe Gomez could start at center back alongside Van Dijk, while Jeremie Frimpong could start at right back but don’t be surprised if Dominik Szoboszlai starts there. Who will start up front? Alexander Isak will likely get the nod and Hugo Ekitike starting on the left with Mohamed Salah on the right and Florian Wirtz as the No. 10 would be unbelievable to see for the first time. But Slot needs Liverpool to have better balance, especially defensively, so Gakpo could get the start on the left and Curtis Jones may get the nod alongside Ryan Gravenberch in midfield to try and have more control in this game. There are plenty of options for Slot and he will likely make changes defensively given recent performances.
Galatasaray vs Liverpool prediction
Liverpool will get the job done but it won’t be easy after a few sloppy displays. There will be goals galore and it will be chaotic. Galatasaray 2-4 Liverpool.
