Galatasaray told to be a 'little modest' before Liverpool as impact of suspension to be felt
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The latest from inside the Galatasaray camp ahead of Wednesday's Champions League round of 16 second leg against Liverpool at AnfieldLiverpool face Galatasaray for the third time this season when they meet at Anfield tonight (Wednesday) for the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie.There has been no shortage of scrutiny in the Liverpool camp, with their Premier League 1-1 draw at the weekend at home to Tottenham Hotspur giving rise to a wave of speculation surrounding the future of Arne Slot.But how do things look ahead of the decider for Galatasaray?The Turkish giants take a slender 1-0 lead to Merseyside, where there will be no away fans due to a sanction imposed by UEFA, after crowd troubles in their knockout phase play-off win over Juventus.FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE! All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook pageMario Lemina’s early goal in Istanbul was enough for Galatasaray to grind out an impressive first leg victory, continuing an impressive string of results against English clubs.In their last six games against Premier League opponents, they have won four times, drawing and losing once.
Meanwhile, they are also in the quarter-finals of the Turkish Cup.As the club trained on Monday ahead of their flight to England, former Norwich midfielder Gabriel Sara was celebrated by his team=mates after receiving a maiden call-up to the Brazilian national team by former Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti.In this evening's match itself, another player could reach an historic milestone: Victor Osimhen is a goal away from equalling former Gala striker Burak Yilmaz’s record of most goals for a Turkish club in a single Champions League season (8).After picking up a yellow card in the first leg, former Tottenham defender Davinson Sanchez is suspended, which could be a big blow for the visitors. Reserve goalkeeper Enes Buyuk is also ruled out with a shoulder injury.Several Galatasaray players are also in danger of following Sanchez’s fate, with Osimhen, Noa Lang, Roland Sallai, Ismail Jakobs, Abdulkerim Bardakcı, Ugurcan Çakır, as well as manager Okan Buruk, all one yellow away from suspension.Gurcan Bilgiç, a sports writer for Turkish news outlet Sabah, told sporx.com: "Galatasaray's form in the last three matches for the Champions League has boosted everyone’s confidence.
They are at a historic turning point, their job is not finished yet.”Ex-Galatasaray midfielder Hamit Altintop says if his former club are to win at Anfield, their backline are in for a busy night.Speaking to DAZN, he said: “In the Liverpool match, Ugurcan Çakır [goalkeeper] will definitely be the key player for Galatasaray. The team needs to defend very well together.”But while recognising Liverpool’s status as favourites, Altintop also knows of the Reds’ defensive vulnerabilities.He said: “If Galatasaray don't score, they won't have a chance anyway.