‘Sometimes you wonder if this could be done’

Arne Slot has warned his gamers to count on one of the vital hostile environments in European soccer once we face Galatasaray within the Champions League.

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The Reds journey to Istanbul for the primary leg of the last-16 tie understanding precisely what awaits after dropping 1-0 at RAMS Park earlier within the competitors.

That defeat got here in the course of the league section in September, when the Turkish champions used each their high quality and their intimidating residence ambiance to safe victory.

Chatting with Owen Hargreaves for The Breakdown on TNT Sports activities, Slot made it clear the problem goes far past merely going through a powerful opponent.

Our head coach mentioned: “Troublesome. That’s what you count on within the final 16, as a result of each crew you will face is troublesome as a result of they’re there for a motive.”

The Dutchman additionally acknowledged the psychological aspect created by the stadium.

“What makes it much more troublesome for us is to know that we’ve got already performed there and we’ve got misplaced. It’s an excellent crew and so they have superb gamers.”

Slot highlights distinctive Galatasaray ambiance

Nonetheless, in keeping with Slot, the most important consider Istanbul is the ambiance generated by the house supporters.

The Liverpool supervisor admitted the noise contained in the stadium could make even primary moments of possession troublesome.

Slot mentioned: “However the entire ambiance makes it totally different from every other away sport I’ve ever performed.”

The 47-year-old continued by explaining how relentless the noise could be all through the match.

“Each time we had the ball, the noise, the whistling, is so onerous that typically you marvel if this might be carried out by human individuals.”

He added that the stress doesn’t even rely upon targets or main moments.

“It’s so onerous, from the begin to the top. The noise is even tougher than once they rating a aim.”

Liverpool aiming to reply after earlier defeat

Liverpool know they need to deal with that ambiance higher this time round if we need to progress to the Champions League quarter-finals.

The Turkish champions arrive filled with confidence after beating Besiktas in a derby victory this weekend that strengthened their place on the prime of the Tremendous Lig.

On the identical time, the disciplinary state of affairs round Galatasaray’s squad may nonetheless turn out to be an vital issue throughout the 2 legs.

A number of gamers are at present strolling a suspension tightrope, which means bookings within the first leg may rule them out of the return match at Anfield.

Slot, nonetheless, believes the second leg on Merseyside will present its personal benefit for Liverpool.

The Liverpool boss concluded: “So it’s a difficult surroundings to play, however the good factor is that we play at residence as nicely, and that’s going to be a difficult surroundings for Galatasaray to play in.”