Every Arne Slot said on Alisson injury, 100th game, and Galatasaray threat

The Liverpool head coach spoke in his usual pre-match press conference ahead of the Champions League last-16 tie against Galatasaray on Tuesday, with the Reds set to face an intense atmosphere in the first leg

Arne Slot spoke to the media ahead of the Champions League last-16 tie against Galatasaray

Arne Slot addressed the media on Monday ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League encounter against Galatasaray.

The Reds travel to Turkey for the last-16 first leg, looking to exact revenge for league-phase defeat in September. Slot was asked several questions about that game and what he expects from Galatasaray on Tuesday. But the big pre-match talking point was the latest team news, with Alisson and Federico Chiesa not travelling. Here are the best bits from Slot’s pre-match briefing.

Injury update: “Federico was not in the session. He felt unwell last night and that's why he hasn’t trained or traveled with us. Ali was in the session, as many people could see. But unfortunately, he felt something towards the end of the session,” he continued. People looked at it and we decided together that it wasn’t good enough to play tomorrow and then he is of no us to travel.”

Alisson back for Tottenham? “There is definitely a chance, yeah. We don’t expect it to be a big thing but it was too much to be available for tomorrow.”

Facing Galatasaray again: “Indeed we played them, so we knew them already really well. And after playing them, we know them better. And now before playing them, you start to watch even more games. I have a lot of respect for Galatasaray, for their manager. He's been so successful here as a player and now as a manager, won so much with this club. Recently they played Besiktas — who have one of my former players, Orkun Kokcu, who I know is a very good player as well – but they are even able to beat Besiktas with 10 men, so that tells you a lot about how the team is fighting, if that is necessary.

“So, they have quality players that can fight and they have great fans behind them. We need to be so, so, so good tomorrow to bring a result back to Anfield and that's what we're going to try. Last time when we played them there was not a lot between us and them. We both got a penalty, unfortunately ours was overturned by the VAR and theirs was given. And in open play I think we were quite similar, a 50-50 game that we lost because of that penalty. Two very good teams playing against each other tomorrow evening.”

Slot said the atmosphere at Galatasaray offers a unique experience for his players

The atmosphere at at RAMS Park: “I don’t think I said so much, but after the game, if people ask you to give your opinion, then you give your opinion and say there were two penalties: one overturned, one not. They have a good team and we have a very good team. Are we happy to play them? No. There's not one team you would prefer to play in the last-16 because they’re all very good teams, including Galatasaray. We've already lost against them, so that tells how difficult a game it is going to be for us.

“The good thing now for us is that we play two games, where in the group you only play away. We also have a chance to play in front of our own fans, which will be impressive for Galatasaray. These fans over here are very impressive. We have noticed that when we have played here. The good thing is we have experienced this already once now. For us, it was new, when you have the ball, the whistling is so loud. That was new for me and even for all of my experienced players. We don't only play the fans, we also play against 11 very good players who are managed by a very good manager.”

Galatasaray threat on the break: “I think we are the team in the Premier League that has the most ball possession, so that tells you how well we are able to bring the ball out from the back. Usually we're also a team that doesn't concede a lot of chances, let alone a lot of counter-attacks, because the more ball possession you have then you need to be well organised in ball possession, otherwise you don't have as much ball possession as we do.

Liverpool will face Victor Osimhen and Galatasaray in the Champions League again(Image: Getty Images)

“I think Galatasaray has a lot of weapons, but transition is definitely one of them. Of course, one of the first ones you think about is [Victor] Osimhen, who is also a great striker in the box, can score from crosses, can score in multiple ways, but definitely a big threat on the counter-attack as well. But they have more than only Osimhen in their front three that are really fast. Last game we played them, it was [Baris Alper] Yilmaz who was twice a bit too fast for us because twice he was going towards the goalkeeper in the first half.

“So, a lot of offensive threat and a lot of pace and we need to be really aware of that – and we will because we played them already. We know now how fast they are and what qualities they have, even more than last time. But it's not always if you know what the strength of the team [that] you can prevent it from happening and that's the challenge for us tomorrow.”

On landmark 100th game in charge: “First of all, it makes me really proud that I became the Liverpool manager and that it is going to be my 100th game. I don't think I have a bad track record in those 100 games — although sometimes, you get a different feeling about that if I have to listen to everything. But it makes me proud and it's nice that the 100th game is such a nice game to play: Champions League last-16, away game against Galatasaray.

“As always, it's never about the manager, it's always about the players. I'll try to prepare them just as good as all the other 99 games I've done before. But it's always the players who have to then perform and I've been very lucky that I've been given a very good team in both seasons, last season and this season. I have all the trust that these players will perform at the levels that we are used to from a Liverpool team.”