Liverpool have named a bold, rotated side in Istanbul, benching Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo and starting teenagers Rio Ngumoha and Victor Munoz alongside Bradley Barcola in attack for tonight's Champions League league-phase clash with Fenerbahce.
Andoni Iraola has made five changes from the side beaten 1-0 at home by Arsenal on Sunday, a defeat that ended a five-game winning run. Liverpool arrive at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium with three wins from three in Europe and know another victory tonight would strengthen their grip on a top-eight finish.
The confirmed teams
Liverpool's confirmed line-up, published by Liverpool FC, reads: Alisson; Joe Gomez, Jeremy Jacquet, Virgil van Dijk, Kostas Tsimikas; Trey Nyoni, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai; Victor Munoz, Bradley Barcola, Rio Ngumoha. UEFA's official teamsheet lists Barcola as the No.9, with Isak, Gakpo and Wirtz all held back on a bench that also includes Giorgi Mamardashvili, Milos Kerkez and Lewis Koumas. It is only the second time all season that Wirtz has started a match among the substitutes.
Szoboszlai's return is the other headline: the Hungarian is back in the starting side after returning from injury as a substitute against Arsenal. There is still no Ryan Gravenberch, who did not travel after Iraola confirmed a heel problem — our Gravenberch update explained the injury in full — while Jeremie Frimpong, Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike and Giovanni Leoni also remain sidelined, and Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo are ineligible after missing out on Liverpool's submitted A squad.
Fenerbahce line up as: Ederson; Nelson Semedo, Milan Skriniar, Kojo Peprah Oppong, Archie Brown; Matteo Guendouzi, N'Golo Kante, Ismail Yuksek; Irfan Can Kahveci, Mason Greenwood, Romelu Lukaku. Oppong starts despite an injury doubt — his first Champions League start — but the hosts are without Nathan Ake and Marco Asensio. Remarkably, six of Fenerbahce's starters are former Premier League players, with 1,086 top-flight appearances between them: Lukaku alone accounts for 278, ahead of Ederson, Kante, Semedo, Greenwood and Guendouzi.
Kuyt's last stand, with his successor watching
The strangest subplot is in the home dugout. Dirk Kuyt, the former Liverpool forward, leads Fenerbahce tonight for the final time — but his permanent successor is already in place. Fenerbahce announced on Tuesday that Emre Belozoglu, the former Newcastle and Inter midfielder, has been appointed head coach, with Reuters confirming the 46-year-old's return from Kasimpasa, where he had guided his side to fifth in the Super Lig. Turkish reports say Belozoglu has signed a reported 18-month deal and will watch tonight's game from the stands before starting work on Thursday morning, leaving Kuyt — whose interim spell we charted when he took the job after Ismail Kartal's resignation — to take charge against his old club one last time.
Kuyt told TNT Sports before kick-off that the Istanbul crowd would make it tough for Liverpool, but admitted his side, 31st in the league-phase table with two points from three games and still chasing a first win, need to be at their absolute best to survive in this competition.
So what does it mean?
For Liverpool, this is a gamble with a safety net: win with a rotated front three and Iraola's squad depth looks formidable heading into the international break; drop points and the decision to bench Isak, Wirtz and Gakpo in one of Europe's most hostile away grounds will be questioned all week. A win would also move the Reds towards the top three of the league phase.
For Fenerbahce, tonight is about pride and a lifeline. Belozoglu inherits a side sixth in the Super Lig and winless in Europe, and a famous result under the watching new boss would change the mood overnight — whoever takes the credit for it.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Only in Istanbul could a Champions League night feature a caretaker managing against his former club while his replacement watches from the stands — and only a manager as confident as Iraola would answer that chaos by benching three star forwards and trusting two teenagers. It is either rotation genius or an invitation to trouble, and the Sukru Saracoglu crowd will let him know which within the first ten minutes. Will Liverpool's young front three silence Istanbul, or is this the night the gamble backfires? Let us know in the comments.
