Fenerbahce v Liverpool: Unbeaten Liverpool Head to Istanbul With a Shooting Problem
Liverpool travel to Istanbul on Wednesday with a perfect European record this season, and they meet a Fenerbahce side who have lost their last two league games. The match is Liverpool's fourth game in the Champions League league phase, the opening round-robin stage where every result counts towards a place in the knockout rounds. It will be played at Chobani Stadyumu.
Liverpool have won every European match so far, a 100% record. Their form at home has been less convincing. In their Premier League game against Arsenal on Sunday, they failed to register a single shot on target. Opta, the company that keeps detailed football statistics, says it is the first time Liverpool have gone a home league game without a shot on target since its records began in 2003-04.
Head coach Andoni Iraola will be without midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, who misses the trip. Iraola has said Gravenberch could return at the weekend. Reuters Liverpool have named a 22-man squad for the journey.
Fenerbahce are sixth in the Turkish Super Lig. Their most recent league defeat came at home to Goztepe. The club's head coach, Ismail Kartal, had Dirk Kuyt as his assistant, and Kuyt has been in charge on an interim basis. Fenerbahce announced on the night before the match that Emre Belozoglu will take over from Kuyt. Belozoglu played for the club in two spells and was interim manager once before, in 2021. An interim manager is a caretaker in charge until a longer-term appointment is made, so this is a short-term change that will bring a familiar face back to the dugout.
For Fenerbahce, the first task is simple: win a game that they badly need after two defeats in a row. For Liverpool, the question is whether their chances in front of goal come back to the level their European results suggest. A side unbeaten in Europe can still feel the sting of a quiet Sunday, and a new coach on the other bench can change a night in a hurry.
The match is live on TNT Sports in the UK. Kick-off details differ between clubs and broadcasters, so check your listings before settling in.
