Liverpool head to Istanbul – the scene of their famous 2005 Champions League triumph – to face Fenerbahce this evening.
The Merseysiders’ Champions League campaign has got off to a strong start with three wins from three and they will be confident of extending that 100% record at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.
To do that, they will have to overcome a familiar face with Fener currently managed on an interim basis by former Anfield favourite Dirk Kuyt.
Kuyt scored 71 goals in 285 appearances over six years at Liverpool, played in the 2007 Champions League final against AC Milan and won the League Cup in 2012. He also knows Fenerbahçe well, having won the Süper Lig title with them as a player in 2014.
His first game in charge did not go to plan. Fenerbahçe lost 2-1 at home to Göztepe on Saturday, leaving them sixth in the Süper Lig and nine points behind Galatasaray.
Things are no better in Europe. Fenerbahçe are 31st in the 36-team table, with just two points from three games. They drew with Roma and Slavia Prague, but were thrashed 6-0 by Aston Villa, and they have conceded nine goals in the competition, joint-most of any team. They have won only one of their last five matches in all competitions.
FENERBAHCE TEAM NEWS
Former Manchester City defender Nathan Ake is out, as is Marco Asensio.
Fenerbahce: Ederson; Semedo, Skriniar, Oppong, Brown; Guendouzi, Kante, Yuksek; Greenwood, Kahveci, Lukaku
Fenerbahce Substitutes: Cetin, Gunok, Akturkoglu, Demir, Muldur, Muriqi, Mercan, Elmaz, Nene, Aydin, Mimovic
LIVERPOOL TEAM NEWS
Ryan Gravenberch has been ruled out with a heel problem. The Dutchman joins Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley on the sidelines.
Alexander Isak starts on the bench with Bradley Barcola likely to play as the lone striker.
Liverpool: Alisson; Gomez, Van Dijk, Jacquet, Tsimikas; Nyoni, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Munoz, Barcola, Ngumoha
Liverpool Substitutes: Mamardashvili, Woodman, Kerkez, Wirtz, Isak, Gakpo, Araujo, Chambers, McConnell, Koumas, Danns
Where to watch Fenerbahce vs Liverpool: TV channel, live online streams
Fenerbahce vs Liverpool kicks off at 17:45 GMT (13:45 ET / 10:45 PT) on Wednesday, November 4 at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul.
The Champions League match is live on TNT Sports 1 in the UK, with streaming on HBO Max. In the US, it’s on Paramount Plus at 12:45pm ET.
If you live outside the UK or the US, visit UEFA’s Champions League broadcaster list to find out where to watch it in your region.
Fenerbahce vs Liverpool stats
- This is the teams’ first meeting, although Fenerbahce striker Romelu Lukaku is familiar with Liverpool after making 166 appearances for Everton and scoring three Merseyside derby goals
- Fenerbahce’s home record against English visitors is W4 D2 L6; they lost their last two 1-0 against Aston Villa and 3-0 to Nottingham Forest in last season’s UEFA Europa League
- Ederson faced Liverpool in the 2017/18 Champions League quarter-finals as a Manchester City player, his side losing both legs of the tie
- A 2-1 win at Forest in last season’s Europa League knockout phase play-off second leg is one of two victories in Fenerbahce’s last 12 games against Premier League opponents, home and away (D2 L8)
- A 6-0 loss at Aston Villa on Matchday 2 this season – Fenerbahce’s heaviest European defeat since 1992 – extended the Turkish team’s run without a clean sheet against English opposition to nine games
- A 4-0 home win against Galatasaray in last season’s round of 16 second leg (4-1 aggregate) ended Liverpool’s three-game losing run against clubs from Turkiye
- The Reds have lost their last three away games against Turkish opposition, all 1-0 – at Besiktas in February 2015 and Galatasaray in September 2025 and March 2026
- Liverpool have won one of their eight away matches against Turkish clubs (D1 L6), 2-1 at Trabzonspor in the 2010/11 Europa League play-off round, and have not kept a clean sheet
- None of Liverpool’s last 46 European matches has been drawn (W32 L14). Their last such game to finish all square was 3-3 at home to Benfica in the 2021/22 Champions League quarter-final second leg
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: 101greatgoals.com
