'Banging drums and smoke everywhere' - Liverpool sent 'pressure' warning ahead of Champions League trip to Galatasaray with 'put it out of your mind' advice

The reigning Premier League champions are accustomed to performing in raucous atmospheres, with Anfield famed for the noise that it generates - especially on evenings when continental action is played out on Merseyside. They are, however, aware that the noise is turned up a notch when heading to RAMS Park in Istanbul.

Liverpool have taken in two previous trips to Galatasaray, but the most recent of those was way back in December 2006 - when suffering a 3-2 defeat. They were held to a 1-1 draw during a Champions League match in February 2002. Ahead of the Reds treading that path again, former Liverpool and Gala striker Dean Saunders has told Slot’s side what to expect when going in pursuit of more precious points on the road.

Saunders told BestBettingSites.com of turning a deaf era and blind eye to what is going on in the stands: "Liverpool’s players have played in huge games before. They will know how to deal with pressure. At Galatasaray, I loved it there. It was a great club with unbelievable support. A 7pm kick off would see the fans in the stadium by 12. Banging drums, red and yellow smoke everywhere. I played there sometimes and we couldn’t see the pitch under the yellow and red. We played Sparta Prague and I just felt sorry for them as they tried to cope. I thought, this must be murder for them. But the manager will tell his players the same thing. Whatever else is going on, it’s 11 v 11. It’s the same size pitch. Nobody is coming from the crowd to tackle you or save your shots. It’s all psychological, so put it out of your mind."

Saunders added: "The only worry is the referee getting wrapped up in the atmosphere and having a bad game, but that’s the only way it can get to you in a way you can’t control. Don’t let the crowd affect you. Play your normal game. There’s not a Galatasaray player who would get into Liverpool’s starting XI. Arne Slot will be telling players to play their usual game, move the ball quickly, and quicker than your opponents, and we’ll have the brains to move to the right places. We have the strikers who can finish moves on, whatever the crowd does. It’ll be a tough night, but they just need to focus. Andy Robertson, for example, is going to have a chance to get in behind his opponent and he can make a goal for Hugo Ekitike. It’s the same across the pitch. Do the basics, fight, and you’ll be OK. A point in Istanbul is a good result, too, so there’s not too much pressure."

Liverpool opened their Champions League campaign in 2025-26 with a dramatic 3-2 victory over La Liga giants Atletico Madrid, with club captain Virgil van Dijk netting a 92nd-minute winner at Anfield - with emotions spilling over on and off the pitch in that contest. Similar levels of intensity are expected in Istanbul. The Reds will head into that fixture on the back of a rare defeat, after seeing their 100 per cent record at the start of the new season ended in spectacular style.

Slot’s side dropped Premier League points for the first time this term when going down 2-1 at Crystal Palace. They netted another late goal in that match, but conceded even later as Eddie Nketiah had the final word in an absorbing encounter. Liverpool will be eager to make amends and get back to winning ways when taking in a testing trip to Turkey.