CHAMPIONS LEAGUE BETTING PREVIEW - LIVERPOOL VS GALATASARY

Champions League

2026-03-18 - Liverpool vs Galatasary

A Sports Betting Preview by Auls

Liverpool v Galatasaray
Football: UEFA Champions League Last 16 Second Leg
Wednesday 18th March 2026 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV

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Liverpool

Supporters booed off Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday as another late goal was conceded and two points dropped in the Premier League against struggling Tottenham Hotspur. A wasteful second half came back to haunt Arne Slot and his players and Liverpool failed to take full advantage of dropped points from Champions League chasing rivals Aston Villa and Chelsea.

Frustration aside, the manager has to be aware that this Champions League Last 16 Second Leg is a big moment for himself, as well as his Liverpool team. The pressure is intensifying on Arne Slot after guiding Liverpool to the Premier League title just ten months ago and reports suggest he will be let go in the summer unless he takes his team to Champions League success. Losing in Istanbul by the same 1-0 scoreline for a second time this season puts pressure on Liverpool who had a 3-0-1 record at Anfield in the League Phase of the competition.

Liverpool may not have lost on Sunday, but it will have still been a body blow for the players to absorb and the side have now won 1 of the last 4 games in all competitions. The draw with Tottenham Hotspur means Liverpool have won 2 of the last 4 here in all competitions, although in the main they have been in better form at Anfield.

Changes were made for the Premier League game on Sunday, but the likes of Ibrahima Konate, Milos Kerkez, Mo Salah and Hugo Ekitike may be restored to the starting eleven for this important fixture.

Galatasaray

The opponent in this Champions League Last 16 tie may have had a tough weekend, but that was not the case for Galatasaray who beat rivals Besiktas and were able to extend the lead at the top of the Turkish Super Lig to 7 points. Holding a 1-0 advantage in this Champions League tie will have fans dreaming of Galatasaray moving into the Quarter Final of the competition, but no one will take anything for granted as they prepare for the Second Leg in the English North West.

They did enough to earn a spot in the Champions League Knock Out Play Off Round after eight matches in the League Phase of the competition, but it is hard to ignore the difference in Galatasaray depending if they are playing at home or away. Despite a 5-2 lead over Juventus last month, the Turkish Champions capitulated in Turin and needed Extra Time to beat The Old Lady and that means Galatasaray have a 1-0-4 record away from home in the Champions League this season.

Galatasaray have won 5 games in a row in all competitions since losing in Turin- the real worry about that defeat is that they were playing against ten men Juventus with a two goal lead on aggregate and were still beaten 3-0 in regulation time. The side have won consecutive away games since that defeat to Juventus, although that was the third away Champions League loss in succession for Galatasaray and all without scoring a goal in normal time.

There was some rotation used by manager Okan Burak for the League win this past weekend, but not wholesale changes even with this Champions League fixture coming up.

Head to Head

This is the seventh meeting between Galatasaray and Liverpool and the Turkish Super Lig club should take heart from the fact they have now won 3 of the previous 6 against this opponent.

It is the third time the clubs face off at Anfield and Liverpool won the most recent of those 3-2 in September 2006.

Prediction

Too many times this season Liverpool have given up a late goal to drop key points in the English Premier League and that could be costly when the final Champions League places are set.

Last season they seemed to do just enough to edge to wins, but those margins have worked against Arne Slot all season ahead of a really important Champions League Last 16 Second Leg.

Losing in Istanbul again has put the pressure on the manager and the squad, but in both defeats to Galatasaray this season, Liverpool have perhaps deserved more than they have gotten.

This will offer the home team encouragement, as will the fact that Galatasaray have not been nearly as effective away from home as they have been in front of the passionate supporters. Away fans have been banned from attending this fixture too, which also works against Galatasaray and it may be tough for the visiting team to contain this Liverpool attack.

It is not a vintage attack, but Liverpool have continued to create enough chances and it is the underwhelming performances of Cody Gakpo and Mo Salah that have really let them down.

The latter is expected to start, but it has been a season when the likes of Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz have been missed and the manager will be desperately hoping for a composed night in the office for his misfiring attacking players. Poor decisions in the final third have not helped, which was evident in the recent defeats at Wolves and Galatasaray as well as in the draw with Tottenham Hotspur, but the expectation is that Liverpool will have enough in this fixture.

Galatasaray have something to protect, but they had a three goal lead travelling to Turin last month and were still beaten 3-0 by Juventus. That was against a host who were reduced to ten men early in the second half when the score was 1-0 and Galatasaray are very fortunate that the Extra Time period saw the home team run out of gas.

They were well beaten when travelling to Manchester City in January and the likelihood is that Liverpool will win this tie inside regulation time.

The Pick :

Liverpool 3-1 Galatasaray

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

I'll back Liverpool - 1.5 Asian Handicap at 1.72 with Bet365