Dean Saunders has advice for Liverpool players on how to cope with febrile Galatasaray atmosphere
Liverpool face the thankless task of an away fixture against Galatasaray in the Champions League tonight, but one man with experience of playing for both clubs has had some words of advice for Arne Slot’s players.
The match at RAMS Park presents a challenge not only for the Reds’ squad, but also the supporters who’ve travelled to Istanbul and have had some draconian measures placed upon them by the authorities, which David Lynch has rightly labelled an ‘absolute disgrace’.
The Merseysiders have played away to the Turkish champions twice before, albeit at different stadia to tonight’s venue – the 1-1 draw in 2002 was at the old Ali Sami Yen Stadium, and an inconsequential 3-2 defeat in 2006 took place at the Ataturk Stadium, where we won the Champions League 18 months previously.
Saunders: Liverpool don’t need to feel daunted by Galatasaray atmosphere
Dean Saunders knows all about the febrile atmosphere that Galatasaray fans can provide, having spent a season at the club in the mid-1990s, but the ex-Liverpool striker has advised Slot’s charges to treat it like any other fixture and trust in their innate footballing ability.
He said (via The Mirror): “Whatever else is going on, it’s 11 v 11. It’s the same size pitch. Nobody is coming from the crowd to tackle you or save your shots. It’s all psychological, so put it out of your mind.
“The only worry is the referee getting wrapped up in the atmosphere and having a bad game, but that’s the only way it can get to you in a way you can’t control. Don’t let the crowd affect you. Play your normal game. There’s not a Galatasaray player who would get into Liverpool’s starting XI.”
Liverpool are good enough to win away to Galatasaray
The Reds will likely be in for a hostile experience at Rams Park, but they have seasoned campaigners who are well used to travelling to various hotbeds of European football.
Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson and Alisson Becker have all sampled the Olimpico in Rome, the Estadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples, the Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade, the Parc des Princes, the San Siro and the Bernabeu, so this’ll be simply another to add to that list.
Liverpool should absolutely respect Galatasaray but have no reason to fear them. Okan Buruk’s side were thrashed 5-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt a fortnight ago, and they would’ve lost at home to Manchester United in 2023 except for an Andre Onana disasterclass in a 3-3 draw.
The Reds will need to improve significantly from their performance in defeat to Crystal Palace at the weekend, with Jamie Carragher calling out their defensive deficiencies, but we’re definitely good enough to go to Istanbul and return with all three points.
Some pundits have made LFC favourites for this season’s Champions League – hopefully tonight we can show why!
You can watch the Liverpool squad prepare for Champions League action via our YouTube channel:
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