Liverpool news as 8 players at risk of Champions League ban as Galatasaray looms

Liverpool travels to Turkey for its Champions League last-16 first leg against Galatasaray on Tuesday, with Alisson and Federico Chiesa ruled out, while Curtis Jones risks suspension

Curtis Jones is one booking away from a ban(Image: Getty Images)

Liverpool is set to resume its Champions League campaign on Tuesday, squaring off against Galatasaray in the day's early kick-off.

Arne Slot's players have already suffered a defeat in Istanbul this term and will be keen to prevent a repeat of their 1-0 loss last time, despite having to cope without some players. Victor Osimhen netted the solitary goal when the teams clashed earlier in the season.

But Liverpool triumphed in its other three away fixtures during the league phase, securing third place in the table. Galatasaray lagged considerably, in 20th position, with only one team among the top 24 scoring fewer goals than the nine scored by the Turkish outfit.

The knockout playoffs painted a different picture, however, as Okan Buruk's side clinched a 7-5 aggregate win over Juventus after extra time. As Tuesday's kick-off approaches, Liverpool must contend with several current absences and potential future ones.

Here are the latest updates from around Anfield, courtesy of Liverpool.com.

8 face suspension

Champions League regulations stipulate that any player who accumulates three yellow cards before the quarterfinals conclude will receive a one-match suspension. This is another factor contributing to Liverpool's advantage in avoiding an additional playoff round, with Galatasaray potentially facing the loss of up to seven players for the second leg if they're cautioned in the first.

Contrast this with Liverpool, where Curtis Jones is the sole player currently on two yellows who could participate on Tuesday. Conor Bradley also has two bookings, but he has already been sidelined due to injury.

Arne Slot is aiming to win the Champions League(Image: Getty Images)

Jones' first booking occurred in the league phase match against Galatasaray, and his second was during the victory over Inter Milan in December. Gala's goalkeeper, Ugurcan Cakir, and defenders Ismail Jakobs and Abdulkerim Bardakci were all cautioned against Liverpool, as well as on another occasion, with Cakir and Bardakci receiving warnings during the playoff round.

Top scorer Victor Osimhen is also one match away from a suspension, as are Noa Lang, Davinson Sanchez, and Roland Sallai. However, midfielder Mario Lemina is no longer at risk of a similar ban, having already served a suspension for his three league phase yellows.

Pair absent from squad

Liverpool's injury list has expanded ahead of their journey to Turkey, with goalkeeper Alisson not included in the squad. The Brazilian shot-stopper is believed to have experienced some discomfort toward the end of the Reds' final training session before the team was scheduled to depart.

Federico Chiesa missed the aforementioned session and, as anticipated, will also be unavailable. However, Trey Nyoni has made the trip despite not being seen in Monday's training.

With Alisson unavailable, Giorgi Mamardashvili is anticipated to feature on Tuesday. The Georgia international made his Champions League bow at the same venue in September following Alisson's injury-enforced withdrawal, subsequently starting against Eintracht Frankfurt, Real Madrid and PSV Eindhoven.

Mamardashvili has featured just once since shipping four goals against PSV in November, starting the FA Cup third round triumph over Barnsley.

Freddie Woodman will provide cover from the bench, having made only one appearance since his summer arrival at the Reds, while teenage goalkeeper Kornel Misciur is also heading to Turkey with the squad.