If we want to do something special in this competition it’s starts in Istanbul. We’ve lost there already this season, but I think this time will be different. Alisson Frimpong Konate Virgil Kerkez Gravenberch Szoboszlai Wirtz Salah Ekitike Gakpo
In 2004-05, there was no way we could win the Champion's League. Gerrard even said as much during an interview at one point that season. He was wrong and he triumphantly lifted Big Ears on that magical May night in Istanbul. I'm not saying that we're going to win number seven, but I'm also not going to say we can't. Is it likely? No. It wasn't likely in 2005 either though. To paraphrase Klopp, we might as well fail in the most beautiful way possible...
Statistics and trivia related to the match… The clubs have faced each other five times before, with one Liverpool win, two draws and two Galatasaray victories. The home team prevailed 1-0 when they met at the same venue on matchday two of the league phase last September. Arne Slot will take charge of Liverpool for the 100th time. He has won 62 of his 99 matches so far and a victory in this game would see him break Kenny Dalglish’s club record of wins in the first 100. Mohamed Salah can set a new club record by appearing in his 81st Champions League game (proper) for Liverpool, overtaking Jamie Carragher’s 80. A goal or an assist from Dominik Szoboszlai will see him become the first Reds player to score or assist in seven successive Champions League games. This will be the second time the Reds have faced the same opponent in two different phases of European competition in the same season. They did so against PSV Eindhoven in the group and knockout stages of the 2006-07 Champions League. Liverpool have won nine of their last 11 away European fixtures. The Reds have won the away leg in nine of their previous 12 Champions League last-16 ties. They have won only once before against a Turkish team in Turkiye – 2-1 at Trabzonspor in a Europa League play-off tie in 2010-11. Salah is one goal away from becoming the first African player ever to score 50 times in the Champions League. Cody Gakpo’s next goal will make him the 58th player to score 50 times for Liverpool in all competitions and the second Dutchman to do so, after Dirk Kuyt. Virgil van Dijk has played every minute of the Reds’ Champions League campaign this season. Galatasaray have suffered defeat in only one of their last 10 home games in Europe, losing 1-0 to Union SG during the league phase. With 26, Galatasaray have received more yellow cards in this season’s competition than any other team. They have won each of their last five matches on home soil in all competitions and are unbeaten in the last seven at RAMS Park. Victor Osimhen is Galatasaray’s leading scorer this season with 18 goals. His penalty kick separated the sides when they met in Turkiye earlier in the campaign. Their coach, Okan Buruk, played for Galatasaray against Liverpool in December 2006 and scored in a 3-2 victory.
Is this muscle related? Some poster wondered why we waste a sub with a 3rd keeper. This justifies my response at the time, that Ali could get hurt at any moment in time before or during a game. So to be safe rather than sorry, the always pick a 3rd keeper. Le voila, this could have happened in the first minute of the game, lol.
Have you ever played goalkeeper? - the amount of time they spend picking themselves up off the ground alone (in training) should answer your question... Not that they are not running all game long, and yes, in a lot of games there is a lot of "standing around" but when called to action, they are diving, sliding, jumping, rolling, etc, often in the midst of a crowd and often at the bottom end of other players, who are kicking, sliding and stomping with cleated boots...the injuries happen... All that being said, it is frustrating that LFC have yet another injury to worry about...
In fact, I have played keeper for much of my adult soccer "career" - so I've been run into, knocked down, etc. But he keeps getting recurring leg injuries to his hamstrings. He's got to be the most injury prone keeper at an elite club that I have ever seen - and it invariably always comes at the worst times for us.
Agreed - his injuries do seem to be muscle related as opposed to contact related…and they do come at in-opportune times (although I don’t believe there would ever be a ‘good’ time to have an injury… it was your phrase “as a goalkeeper” (having also been one for most of my career) that got me
Getting to be a bit of a problem. He’s an outstanding keeper, but you need consistency in goal as much as anything else. If he’s starting to break down physically you have to wonder when it will be better to put Mamardashvilli in there, if for no other reason than consistency. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this happens now… just that it might be why we pushed to get Mamardashvilli in before he was completely ready to start every game, but is clearly a calibre of GK who probably demands to start every game.
I’ve only played keeper once during the time I’ve played competitive soccer (if you could really call it that), but it was the only time I was ever seriously injured playing soccer. The reason I was playing in that position (I usually played as an attacking minded midfielder during most of my time playing seriously) was that we had already lost two other players to injuries as GK. Granted this was when I was in grad school, and it was just the competitive university intramural league. But we were playing against teams that had some semi-pro players, and if anything the games were probably a bit more rough given the “agricultural” nature of some of the play. Our team was recruited from a number of S. American students and grad students and a couple of us Americans who had actually played a fair amount through high school and college. Our first GK hyperextended one of his fingers and had to have surgery as he’d damaged his flexor tendon. Our second GK ruptured an eardrum when someone elbowed him in the head during a corner kick… and so then someone had to volunteer to play GK for the team. Frankly, at that point no one really wanted to do it, so I manned-up and said I’d play the position. I still remember my first game, where basically we were overmatched by a frat team who were continuously overloading with an extra man coming in late during attacks. I’d never played defense or sat in goal and watched how the other team was pressing… it’s amazing how much more you see when you aren’t busy running around yourself. I was yelling at the defense pretty much the whole game and then often running out and breaking up play with a sliding tackle (since I didn’t really know how to use my hands… LOL). We ended up losing the game, but only by one goal after probably about a dozen break aways that I mostly was able to kill with my awkward slide tackles…. I just remember the opposing team coming up afterwards and saying things like “good play today” or “hell you were a pain!” Then in my third or fourth game in goal, we were playing that same team again in the semifinals of the playoffs, and I broke my collarbone. We were playing in really windy conditions, and the wind was against us in the second half. We just could not get the ball out of our half, and the other team was constantly pressing us. There was a breakaway coming into the box and this time I went in with my arms outstretched to get the ball. I got it, but rolled over the top of it at speed. I heard a “snap” but got up with the ball. Nothing hurt (in that moment), but there was a bit of a lull in play since I had the ball. I was trying to figure out if I’d done something bad, or if it was just a rough moment. I literally was kind of swinging my arm around to see if it was okay, and the closest defender on my team came over and we were feeling my arm and shoulder. I remember saying, I think I’m okay, and then I ran my hand over my shoulder and felt a big bump about halfway down my collarbone. I still didn’t feel any pain, but knew I’d messed myself up pretty well. They actually had an ambulance on standby at the game and the EMTs looked at me and said I should probably go to the hospital. When I did, they took and X-ray and came back and said that was “about as clear a break as they’d ever seen.” I basically had T-boned my collarbone about halfway through it’s length. To this day one of my shoulders is about a centimeter shorter than the other. By that time it had started to hurt… a lot, and I spent the next 4-6 weeks in a “chicken brace.” So, I totally understand how Alisson can be injury prone… I honestly think GK is probably the most dangerous position for serious injuries on the team. I also think that because the GK probably is relatively static for most of the game, that this probably also contributes to injuries. They probably have a harder time keeping warm and can end up pulling muscles or tendons/ligaments because you have to go from practically zero to 100% effort in an instant. Certainly, during my 20+ years actively playing the game the worst injury I’ve ever sustained was playing GK.
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson has been ruled out of the first leg of the Champions League last-16 tie against Galatasaray through injury - but he could be back for the visit of Tottenham at the weekend. The 33-year-old Brazilian sustained the injury in a training session shortly before Liverpool flew to Turkey for Tuesday's match at RAMS Park. Reds boss Arne Slot told a news conference on Monday that Alisson felt minor discomfort and after consultation with the club's medical staff did not travel to Istanbul with the rest of the squad. Liverpool have not disclosed specifics about the injury. "Ali, of course, was in the session as many people could see, but unfortunately he felt something towards the end of the session," Slot said. "People looked at it and we decided, and he decided together, that it wasn't good enough to play tomorrow. And then it's of no use travelling." When asked if Alisson would be fit enough for Liverpool's Premier League fixture against Tottenham at Anfield on Sunday, Slot was positive. "There's definitely a chance, yes, because we don't expect it to be a big thing," added the Dutchman. "But it was too much to be available for tomorrow." Brazil international Alisson has missed nine matches this season through injury.
Liverpool are also without Italian forward Federico Chiesa, who has not made the trip to Istanbul because of illness.
Yup, i played keeper. I ached all week following that game. But miraculously recovered the day before the next. Back then the keeper was a target. Forwards running at you, to try knock you down or bundle you into the goal.. I still have the results of broken fingers and had an operation to fix my cheekbone, broken in 4 places by a size 12 boot. You went up for a high catch from a corner, you expected a hit. Ali seems to have a severe reaction to a dirty look. While the refs will give an attacking forward a yellow for it. Gawd, I loved those old days when I would do my best to dominate my area. If they came at me, it’d only be once. I loved that game I played for an over 40 league when I was 60.
Liverpool: Mamardashvili, Gomez, Van Dijk, Konate, Kerkez, Wirtz, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Salah, Ekitike, Gravenberch. Subs: Woodman, Misciur, Jones, Gakpo, Robertson, Frimpong, Nyoni, Nallo, Morrison, Ngumoha.
No Gakpo. Either Wirtz or Szoboszlai to LW. Guessing Wirtz. Or perhaps Ekitike to LW, Wirtz as false 9? Possible narrower variation with Salah/Ekitike up front + 4 man midfield? 4-4-2 diamond? Who knows.