Liverpool are preparing for Wednesday’s crucial Champions League match against Galatasaray. The Reds suffered a 1-0 loss in the first leg of their Round of 16 encounter, giving Arne Slott’s side a hurdle to overcome to reach the quarter-finals.
Slott’s attention is now back on the Champions League, with Liverpool looking to revive it. The Dutch head coach will be hoping his team breaks the pattern against Galatasaray and does not repeat their previous mistakes.
Meanwhile, Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai has revealed that his team is concerned about missing out on qualification for next season’s Champions League. Here, Express Sport examines some of the top news surrounding the Reds.
Slott found himself lamenting a familiar shortcoming when his team squandered chances against the Spurs. The Reds moved within two points of fourth-placed Aston Villa, but the Liverpool manager admitted they may not reach their goal unless they address some of their persistent problems.
“Of course there is damage, but how many times have we been damaged by this (this season)?” he asked. “We haven’t helped ourselves at all. There have been many times this season where we have created far more xG and chances than we have scored.
“Usually in the Premier League you see a lot of teams outperforming their xG, but that’s definitely not what we’re doing. The games are close until the end and we’re struggling to keep clean sheets.”
“We haven’t kept as many clean sheets as we would like to be high up in the table. This is a bad combination for us to get the points we want to get.”
Liverpool star Szoboszlai has revealed the team have already held talks and stressed the importance of securing Champions League qualification. The midfielder also expressed concerns about the atmosphere at Anfield ahead of the important game against Galatasaray.
“We were already talking to each other a few weeks ago: ‘We don’t have that much time to get this right, so we have to wake up and start moving in the direction we want to play in the Champions League next season,'” Szoboszlai said.
“We have a game against Galatasaray on Wednesday and it will be a tough game, because that’s how I felt there. I don’t think it will help us either that people start leaving after the 80th minute. Good luck to us.”
“Everyone is aware of it and even when we concede a goal people leave the stadium. Even when we score a goal they don’t leave the stadium. I understand the frustration but we need them, we need everyone and that’s the most important thing.”
