The first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League Round of 16 will kick off, with Premier League giants Liverpool traveling to Rams Park to face Turkish side Galatasaray. Manager Sloot stated in a press conference that this is a tenacious opponent, and therefore they must perform exceptionally well to secure a victory.

In the earlier FA Cup, Liverpool defeated Wolves 3-1 with goals from Robertson, Salah and Jones, successfully advancing to the quarterfinals and restoring the players' confidence to face the challenge of the Champions League.

Looking back at their Champions League encounter this season, Liverpool conceded a penalty to Osimhen and ultimately lost 0-1 to Galatasaray away from home.

Liverpool manager Sloot said, "We've played Galatasaray before, so we know them pretty well. Now, before playing them again, we'll watch more of their game footage. I have a lot of respect for Galatasaray and their manager, Okan Brook. He was very successful as a player and now he's achieved a lot as a manager, winning many honors for the club."

“They recently played Beşiktaş in the Turkish Super League. That team has Olkun Kokchüt, a player I used to coach. I know he is a very good player, but Galatasaray still beat Beşiktaş even with one less player, which shows that this team will fight very hard.”

Sloth emphasized, "They not only have strong players, but they are also very tenacious, and they have a great fan base behind them. We must perform very well tomorrow to bring a good result back to Anfield, and that's what we will strive to do."

"The last time we played here, the two sides were not far apart. We each had a penalty opportunity, but unfortunately our penalty was disallowed while theirs was awarded. From a play-from-open-play perspective, I think the two sides were evenly matched, and it was a close game. We lost the game because of that penalty, and tomorrow will be a match between two excellent teams."

When asked about the choice for left-back, Slaughter said, "Robertson played very well against Wolves, and Kelkaz Milos has also played a lot of excellent games for us recently. Both of them have been performing well recently, and ultimately it's up to me to make the choice. We'll see who starts tomorrow."

He is about to make his 100th match in charge of Liverpool.

“I think I’ve used five or six different players at right-back this season, and Szoboszlai is one of them. He’s performed very well in most games, but he’s also played very well in midfield. Now if I decide to play Szoboszlai at full-back, it’s because I think it’s the best option, not because there’s no one else available in that position. This is very positive for us and very important for the final stages of the season.”

Furthermore, the match against Galatasaray will be Sloot's 100th game in charge of Liverpool. Sloot stated, "I'm very proud to be Liverpool's manager, and this will be my 100th game. I don't think my record in these 100 games is bad. But if I listen to all the opinions from the outside world, sometimes I have a different feeling."

“However, I am still proud, and the 100th game is a very special one, being the Champions League Round of 16 and playing away against Galatasaray. As I always say, it’s never about the manager, it’s about the players, and I will prepare for this game as seriously as I prepared for the previous 99 games.”

Sloot also said, "But ultimately it has to be the players on the pitch to finish the game. I'm lucky to have had a very good team, both last season and this season, and I have complete faith in these players to play at the level of Liverpool we know and love."

Image source: Internet