Liverpool have had a hard week in the Premier League, but in Europe they have not dropped a point. Andoni Iraola’s team go to Istanbul on Wednesday to play Fenerbahçe with three wins from three games in the Champions League league phase.
The game kicks off at 18:45 CET. It is the first time the two clubs have met in a UEFA competition.
Back to Europe after Arsenal
On Sunday Liverpool lost 1-0 at home to Arsenal. Kai Havertz scored after 16 minutes, and the closest Liverpool came was a curling free kick from Florian Wirtz that hit the crossbar. The defeat left them fifth in the table with 15 points from nine games.
The Champions League has been a different story. Liverpool beat Atlético Madrid 2-1 in their first game, then LASK 6-3. Last time out they won 4-3 against Villarreal. That is nine points and 12 goals so far.
Iraola still has a few players missing. Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley are still out, and so are Giovanni Leoni and Hugo Ekitike. Dominik Szoboszlai came back against Arsenal and played the last half hour.
Kuyt against his old club
Fenerbahçe have a familiar face on the bench. Dirk Kuyt, who played for Liverpool from 2006 to 2012 and scored for them in the 2007 Champions League final, was named interim coach last Wednesday after Ismail Kartal resigned. Kartal left after a 2-1 derby defeat to Galatasaray.
Kuyt’s first game did not go well. Fenerbahçe lost 2-1 at home to Göztepe on Saturday, with Matteo Guendouzi scoring their only goal.
The Turkish side are also still waiting for a win in this season’s Champions League. They drew with Roma and Slavia Prague, and they lost 6-0 to Aston Villa. That gives them two points from three games. Romelu Lukaku is the big name in their attack.
A strange run in Europe
Liverpool have a curious record to defend. They have not drawn any of their last 46 games in UEFA competitions. Their last European draw was a 3-3 at home to Benfica in the 2021/22 quarter-finals. Turkey has not been a happy place for them, though. Last season they lost 1-0 at Galatasaray.
Our take
On paper Liverpool should win this. Fenerbahçe are in a bad spell, with a new coach and two league defeats in a row. But Istanbul is never an easy trip, and the home crowd will be loud for Kuyt’s first European game in charge.
Liverpool need goals from open play after Sunday. If Wirtz and the forwards can turn their possession into chances, a fourth straight win in Europe is very possible.
Do Liverpool make it four wins from four in Istanbul? Tell us in the comments.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Florian Wirtz by Bryan Berlin (CC BY-SA 4.0), Alexander Isak by Bryan Berlin (CC BY-SA 4.0), Dirk Kuyt by Zafer (CC BY-SA 4.0), Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium by Yigitylnz (CC BY-SA 4.0), Dominik Szoboszlai by Timmy96 (CC0).
