Liverpool vs Galatasaray: UEFA Champions League – teams, start, lineups

Liverpool vs Galatasaray: UEFA Champions League – teams, start, lineupsLiverpool must overturn a 1-0 deficit against Galatasaray in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie.Liverpool manager Arne Slot led the football club to the Premier League in his first season in charge but his second year has proved far more difficult [Umit Bektas/Reuters]Published On 17 Mar 2026Who: Liverpool vs Galatasaray What: UEFA Champions League last 16, second leg Where: Anfield in Liverpool, England When: Wednesday at 8pm (20:00 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.Liverpool’s English Premier League (EPL) title defence may have been left in tatters this season, but the football club still have a shot at the UEFA Champions League if they can produce another memorable Anfield night.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Gavaskar links Sunrisers signing of Pakistan’s Abrar to Indian deathslist 2 of 4World Baseball Classic: Venezuela defeats Italy, sets up final against USlist 3 of 4Iran negotiating with FIFA to move World Cup games from US to Mexicolist 4 of 4AFC has received no notification from Iran on World Cup withdrawalend of listTurkiye’s Galatasaray narrowly lead 1-0 following the first leg, although given the Reds’ travails this season, a comeback on home soil is far from guaranteed.Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at a huge night for Liverpool and their under-fire manager, Arne Slot.Liverpool’s EPL chase for Champions League spots faltersDominik Szoboszlai believes Liverpool are “running out of time” in their bid to secure Champions League qualification via their Premier League position after yet again dropping points late in a match.The Hungary captain said he understood why many fans left Anfield early – as some did even before Richarlison scored in the 90th minute to snatch a 1-1 Premier League draw for struggling Tottenham on Sunday – but urged them to stand by Slot’s side.Many of those who remained inside booed at the final whistle after reigning Premier League champions Liverpool missed a chance to move ahead of Aston Villa into fourth.They did gain one place and one point over Chelsea, but conceding a goal in the 90th minute or later for the eighth time this season proved costly.“It’s a good question. If I knew the answer, I would be the first one to go to the team and say it,” said Szoboszlai when asked why Liverpool continue to drop late points.“A couple of weeks ago, we had a talk between each other saying ‘Guys, we don’t have such a lot of time to do this right so we have to wake up and start to go in a way that we want to play Champions League next season’,” added the Hungary captain, whose first-half free kick gave Liverpool the lead against Spurs.“It’s a little bit boring when I say this, but we still need to find a solution because we are running out of time.”Liverpool fans need a lift from their teamSzoboszlai accepted that Liverpool did not offer the crowd much to cheer in the Spurs match after he scored his fourth free kick of the season. But he urged them to see games out, as early departures were noticed by players.“I don’t say they have no right to leave the stadium. They can leave if they want,” he said. “We need them, and they should know this. We are one less without them.“It should be normal that in hard times we stick together more because that’s what we need, we need each other.“We want to make them happy; it’s not that we do it on purpose. Last year, it was enjoyable to watch all the games. But this year, maybe it’s not that enjoyable, for sure, I can imagine.“I don’t think it helps us also that after 80 minutes people start to go home; it doesn’t help us at all. Stick with us.”What happened in the first leg between Liverpool and Galatasaray?Galatasaray’s 1-0 home win was secured via an early ⁠header from Mario Lemina in what was a compelling contest with both sides having goals disallowed late on.Despite ⁠early pressure from Liverpool, Lemina put the Turkish side ahead after seven minutes, diving to head home after Victor Osimhen nodded a corner back across the goal.The ‌hosts maintained the momentum after the early goal, with Giorgi Mamardashvili producing several superb saves in the Liverpool goal.Just after the hour mark, Osimhen tapped the ball into an open net, but Liverpool were spared as Baris Alper Yilmaz had ⁠been offside in the build-up.Liverpool found the net in the 70th minute, forcing the ball over the line following a goalmouth scramble. But the effort was ruled ‌out following a VAR review, with the ball seemingly striking Ibrahima Konate’s hand before ricocheting in.Head-to-headThis will be the seventh meeting between the sides, with Galatasaray winning three.Liverpool have won only one of the encounters.Liverpool are still without Alexander Isak, Giovanni Leoni, Conor Bradley and Wataru Endo, who are all battling injuries.Mohamed Salah, Hugo Ekitike and Ibrahima Konate were all benched for the game against Tottenham, but are expected to return to the side.Enes Buyuk is still absent through injury, while Metehan Baltaci, Gokdeniz Gurpuz and Renato Nhaga are all ineligible after being left out of the club’s Champions League squad.Defender Davinson Sanchez is suspended.Alisson; Frimpong, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; EkitikeCakir; Sallai, Singo, Bardakci, Jakobs; Torreira, Lemina; Yilmaz, Sara, Lang; Osimhen