Victor Osimhen’s ability to get shots away is arguably unmatched when compared to other strikers across Europe. Galatasaray had 15 shots in the first leg meeting between the sides last week, with six of those coming from Victor Osimhen, and one of those efforts finding the target.

Osimhen achieved that shot tally from just 25 touches in the first leg, showing how effective he can be even when he isn’t massively involved in build-up play. Osimhen has netted seven goals across his nine starts in the Champions League this season from 41 shots (4.64 per 90), seeing 25 of those efforts find the target (2.83 per 90).

Furthermore, Osimhen scored from the penalty spot when the sides met in the league phase of the Champions League earlier in the season. He had four shots in that game overall, with three of those efforts finding the target. 

Alisson was replaced just before the hour mark in the first leg meeting between the sides last week, but not before having to make three saves in his 56 minutes of action in Turkiye. 

Alisson was fit enough to start over the weekend in Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham, so he should start in this fixture. Alisson was tested six times by Tottenham in Liverpool’s disappointing draw with Igor Tudor’s side, suggesting that he doesn’t have that much protection in front of him at the moment.

Alisson has been forced into making 12 saves across his five starts in the Champions League this term, working out to an average of 2.60 saves per 90. He’s maintained a save percentage of 80% across those games, suggesting that he is still a reliable goalkeeper - and one who can bail Liverpool out on at least two occasions. 

The context surrounding this tie lends itself to a high-scoring encounter, with Liverpool needing to score at least twice here to have a chance of progressing through to the next stage. Liverpool have seen 17 goals across their four home games in the Champions League this season (4.25 per game), winning three of those games.

Three of Liverpool’s four home games in the Champions League have produced 3+ goals, with the exception of their 1-0 win over Real Madrid, in which Liverpool should have scored at least one more goal, with the Reds having a personal xG of 2.51 in that clash. Liverpool are relying on success in the Champions League to make this a decent season, so Arne Slot is likely to focus on this game and field a strong lineup.

This also explains why he rotated the side for their 1-1 draw against Tottenham over the weekend, leaving out the likes of Mohamed Salah, Hugo Ekitike and Ibrahima Konate for that clash. I think context wins here, and Liverpool will be forced to come out and go for an aggressive victory - leading to a clash that sees chances at both ends and at least three goals in the encounter.

Liverpool really struggled to contain their discipline in their 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray last week, committing 18 fouls and picking up four yellow cards. 

This isn’t the first time that Liverpool have struggled to keep their composure against the Turkish side either, with the league phase meeting seeing Liverpool commit 14 fouls and pick up three yellow cards.

The urgency of this second leg meeting should bring out even more frustration and aggression from Liverpool, who are chasing the tie and need to score at least twice to book their spot in the quarter-finals of the competition.

Liverpool have picked up 12 yellow cards across their nine matches in the Champions League this season (1.33 per game), but we are likely to see a rise in that metric here when considering Liverpool’s card and foul record in each of the two head-to-head meetings between the sides this season.

Ekitike has enjoyed a strong debut season for Liverpool, netting 16 goals across his 40 appearances, with two of those goals coming across eight starts in the Champions League. He’s easily been the best of Liverpool’s summer signings so far this term, and particularly enjoys playing at Anfield, where the majority of his goals have come so far for Liverpool.

Liverpool have been pretty prolific at home in the Champions League this season, netting 11 goals across their four home matches during the league phase (2.75 per game). Liverpool need to score at least twice to win here, so there should be plenty of motivation for Ekitike to get on the scoresheet.

I think Mac Allister has struggled quite a bit this season, though he has remained a good option for a caution at this price. Liverpool committed 18 fouls and picked up four yellow cards in the first leg meeting between the sides last week, with Mac Allister being quite fortunate to avoid a caution with two fouls to his name in the contest.

Mac Allister has picked up one yellow card across his six starts in the Champions League this season, committing eight fouls across those games (1.20 fouls committed per 90). Both Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch were booked in the first leg clash, suggesting that the midfield will be an active battleground for fouls again in this meeting.

Victor Osimhen is an all-action striker, making this market particularly appealing for this second leg clash. He was such a handful in the first leg, having six shots in total as well as committing a foul from just 25 touches of the ball in total.

Osimhen has netted seven goals across his nine starts in the Champions League this season, with one of those strikes coming from the penalty spot in the league phase meeting between the sides earlier in the campaign. 

Osimhen has also collected two yellow cards across those Champions League appearances from a foul tally of eight (0.90 per 90). Osimhen should continue to be a handful here, and can either find the back of the net or test the patience of the referee with his busy and occasionally frenetic nature.

For the second time this season, Liverpool were beaten at the Rams Park Stadium against Galatasaray, but this time they will have the opportunity to atone for their mistakes in the second leg. Galatasaray haven’t been as impressive on their travels this season, as they have been on home turf, and they were fortunate to squeeze through against Juventus in the previous round. 

After securing a 3-1 victory in Turkey, Galatasaray conceded 22 shots worth 4.86 xG in regular time of the second leg, which was enough to level the scores and take the tie to extra time. Liverpool will have to be just as front-footed at Anfield here, which means Ryan Gravenberch should be able to pick up some advanced positions. 

The Dutchman is averaging 1.24 shots per 90 across all competitions on Merseyside this season, and he has landed this selection in four of his last six starts at Anfield.

Virgil van Dijk is averaging just 0.6 fouls per 90 across all competitions this season, which is pretty low, but the Dutchman hasn’t been as composed in the Champions League. In fact, he has registered more fouls than any other Liverpool player in the competition, with 12 fouls in nine matches, averaging 1.33 fouls per 90. That includes one foul against Galatasaray in the league phase, and three infringements when the sides recently met in the round of 16 first leg. Virgil van Dijk also picked up a card in that game. 

Once again, the centre back will have to be aggressive in his duels with Liverpool trailing in the tie. Victor Osimhen has proven to be a difficult player to contain, averaging 1.2 fouls drawn per 90 across all competitions this season, and he will be the primary matchup for van Dijk.