Liverpool joined Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday, thanks to a thumping 4-0 win over Galatasaray.
We’ve already discussed what the Reds’ progress could mean from a Fantasy perspective, chiefly Double Gameweek 33/Blank Gameweek 34.
Now, the rest of the talking points from a convincing victory for Arne Slot’s side.
RESULT
| Team | Opponent | Result | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | Galatasaray (h) | 4-0 win | Szoboszlai, Ekitike, Gravenberch, Salah | Mac Allister, Salah x2, Wirtz |
SELECTION/ROTATION
| Team | Changes from GW30 | Players who kept their places (+ mins) | Other players (+ mins) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | 4 | Alisson (90), Van Dijk (90), Szoboszlai (90), Mac Allister (90), Wirtz (89), Gravenberch (89), Frimpong (67) | Konate (90), Kerkez (90), Ekitike (89), Salah (74), Jones (23), Gakpo (16), Nyoni (1), Chiesa (1), Ngumoha (1) |
SALAH INJURY SCARE
Just when he was looking like his old self, Mohamed Salah (£14.0m) signalled to the bench.
The Egyptian had, barring a first-half penalty miss, enjoyed a fine evening, contributing to three of Liverpool’s four goals.
Teeing up Hugo Ekitike (£9.2m) for Liverpool’s second goal of the night, he then saw his saved shot rebound to goalscorer Ryan Gravenberch (£5.5m) for the Reds’ third.
The best was still to come. Playing a nice one-two with Florian Wirtz (£8.3m), Salah curled in the final goal, a superb, edge-of-the-box strike that was once his trademark but has been sadly lacking in 2025/26.
No sooner was there rekindled interest in him for Gameweek 31 than he had disappeared down the tunnel.
“Injury-wise, he was asking for a substitution, not because he thought he had scored enough but that he felt something, so let’s see where he is for the weekend and afterwards.” – Arne Slot on Mohamed Salah
So, a niggle before one of the quickest turnarounds of the season: 63 hours between his substitution in midweek and kick-off at the Amex on Saturday. Arne Slot will hopefully provide us with another update on Friday but if it’s anything more than mere cramp, he represents a significant early doubt for Gameweek 31.
If he is sidelined, the stock of back-up penalty taker Dominik Szoboszlai (£7.0m) rises for the upcoming Gameweek.
FORMATION CHANGE
Salah was part of a front two with Ekitike against Galatasaray, playing more centrally than we’re used to seeing him.
The central midfield four were narrow, too, with the width provided by Milos Kerkez (£5.6m) and Jeremie Frimpong (£5.7m) from full-back:
If the formation rings a bell, you’d be right. Slot used this set-up in previous ties against Eintracht Frankfurt and Inter Milan. It was successful then; it was successful on Wednesday. That begs the question of why the Liverpool boss hasn’t used more of it, and the predictable answer, according to Slot, is injuries.
“We’ve played this tactic before – Frankfurt away, Inter Milan away and some other games – but usually this season then we’ve got a player injured, we couldn’t do it again because then we miss out on a certain type in a certain position.
“This has been our season that every time when we think we find the system or we think we find the right style of play, then someone gets injured and then we don’t have the similar fit, so we have to adapt and change again. But that’s part of being a manager, so you can’t complain about that.” – Arne Slot
WHERE HAS THIS LIVERPOOL BEEN?
“After the game, Slot said it was “not about tactics”. The Liverpool boss instead cited the importance of “work rate” and “intensity”, the latter of which has often been missing in 2025/26. It’s all been too ponderous at times.
Can they take this performance and reproduce it at Brighton? Or was this a perfect storm – under the floodlights at Anfield, a must-win game, the crowd feeding off Slot’s “lunatic” behaviour on the sidelines – that they’ll struggle to replicate? In fact, even the Dutchman said that “this performance is impossible to copy one more time”.
There was plenty to like about Liverpool’s display. The hosts absolutely battered Galatasaray 33-4 on shots, and even underachieved on the xG front despite scoring four goals!
There wasn’t a bad performance out there, and some eye-catching numbers recorded.
Wirtz’s eight chances created/key passes were the most that any Liverpool has ever managed in a Champions League match. He was only denied a goal of his own by a superb block.
Front two Salah and Ekitike registered a massive 15 shots between them, with the Egyptian especially spurning some good chances.
They merely rose to the levels of Szoboszlai, who unlike many of his teammates, has been consistently excellent in 2025/26. The Hungarian had six efforts himself and, encouragingly, three of them were in the box, including his well-worked set-piece opener.
CHANGES FOR GAMEWEEK 31?
The below screenshot from our Line-ups page shows the minutes breakdown over the last three Liverpool matches:
Salah and Ekitike had breathers last weekend (the latter had, however, missed training in the lead-up to the game), so could we perhaps see Wirtz and Alexis Mac Allister (£6.3m) spared at the Amex? Slot won’t want to cede any more ground in the race for a Champions League place, so it’s a delicate balance he has to strike.
Joe Gomez (£4.9m), who started in Gameweek 30, “couldn’t play” on Wednesday, according to Slot, even though he was on the bench.
