NewsArne Slot press conference: A return to Galatasaray and his 100th game as LFC boss
The Reds return to RAMS Park, where they were beaten in the league phase 1-0 back in September, to kick off their Round of 16 tie.
The first leg in Turkiye is Slot's 100th game in charge of the club and he previewed the occasion by attending a press conference on the eve of the match.
Read on for the key points from his session with reporters.
On 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.
On drawing Galatasaray in the last 16 and the atmosphere at RAMS Park...
They have a very good team and we have a very good team. So are you happy to play against them? No, there's not one team which you prefer to play in the last 16 because they are all very good teams – including Galatasaray. We've already lost against them, so that tells you how difficult of a game it is for us. The good thing now is that we play two games. Where in the group stage you only play away against Galatasaray. Now 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've noticed that when we've played here. The good thing is we've experienced it already once now. That's maybe a positive thing. The Galatasaray players are experiencing this every home game. But for us it was new when you have the ball that the whistling, if that's the right word, is so loud. That was new for me and even for all of my experienced players. So, the good thing is that we've already experienced it. But we not only play against the fans, we also play against 11 very good players that are a very strong team, managed by a very good manager.
On who will play at left-back...
[Andy] Robertson played a really good game [at Wolverhampton Wanderers], Milos [Kerkez] has played really good games for us. Both have played many good games recently for us. It's a choice for me to make and you will see tomorrow who is going to start.
On his options at right-back and whether Dominik Szoboszlai could play there again on Tuesday night...
I think I have played five or six different players in that position this season. Dominik is one of them, he's done in general in almost all of the games really well, but he's played also really well in the midfield. So, the good thing for me is I have choices to make and that has not been happening a lot this season. It was mainly 13 or 14 players available and usually the same ones always playing. Now, in the last game against Wolves, I could even impact the game off the bench [and] that hasn't happened that many times this season, so that's a very good thing for us.
So, I can now play Dominik if I want to play him as a full-back because I think that's the best decision to make and not because I have no-one else in that position. That is something really positive for us and also important going into the final stage of the season where we play a lot – and we've already played a lot – and it's the end of the season. So the more players available, the better it is because usually players can get a bit tired towards the end and the more players you have then the better it is.
On being aware of Galatasaray's threat on the counter-attack...
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.
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 reaching the landmark of 100 games in charge of Liverpool...
First of all, it makes me really proud that I become 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.