Istanbul braced for Liverpool return

Glorious period
Having lifted the European Champion Clubs' Cup four times in a glorious period between 1977 and 1984, Liverpool claimed the trophy outright in Istanbul in 2005 as they overturned a 3-0 half-time deficit to overcome AC Milan on penalties at the Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadium. Adding to the nostalgia, the hero of that shoot-out, Polish goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek, will make his first start of the season as the Reds look to make it five straight victories in the section - a run kick-started by a 3-2 success against Tuesday's hosts in late September.

'Hunger'
While happy to reflect on "the happiest night of our footballing lives", the Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez was as keen to look forward and hoped memories of Istanbul would prove inspirational to those in the ranks who were not around in 2005. "It can also be the beginning of something new," the Spaniard said. "We can also achieve big things in the future because we have the quality in the squad and the right mentality now. I still feel the hunger is there and we want to win more trophies."

Weekend win
Having been paired with Arsenal FC in the FA Cup, Liverpool will hope for better fortune in the 15 December draw for the first knockout round, but will first use this Matchday 6 fixture to blood young players for the challenges ahead. "We've decided to leave some players behind as we have a lot of games in December but we have enough good players here to win the game," said Benítez, whose side climbed to fifth in the Premiership by winning 4-0 at Wigan Athletic FC on Saturday. Captain Steven Gerrard, goalkeeper Pepe Reina and defenders Sami Hyypiä and Steve Finnan did not travel to Turkey, although teenage trio Miki Roque, Stephen Darby and Paul Anderson did and will be hoping to make UEFA Champions League bows.

'Missing pieces'
The gloom around Galatasaray deepened with Sunday's 2-1 defeat by Turkish league leaders Fenerbahçe SK, a loss which leaves the champions seven points adrift of their great rivals. Galatasaray's hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Cup were dashed a fortnight ago when they went down 3-1 at FC Girondins de Bordeaux, putting them at risk of finishing Group C with a solitary point, which would be their worst return in 12 appearances. "Small mistakes and missed opportunities are the reasons for our failure in the Champions League," said coach Erik Gerets. "We still have some missing pieces to fill in if we are to compete with the best European teams."

Song back
Cameroon defender Rigobert Song is expected to return after food poisoning but Hakan Şükür (cracked rib), Orhan Ak (groin), Aydın Yılmaz (groin) and Ferhat Öztorun (nose) are all sidelined. "It's been a disappointing campaign," Gerets concluded. "We hope to finish it by playing some good football and helping to increase Turkey's co-efficient ranking."

Probable teams
Galatasaray: Faryd Mondragón; Cihan Haspolatlı, Stjepan Tomas, Rigobert Song, Ergün Penbe; Hasan Şaş, Ayhan Akman, Junichi Inamoto, Arda Turan; Saša Ilić; Ümit Karan.

Liverpool: Jerzy Dudek; Lee Peltier, Jamie Carragher, Daniel Agger, John Arne Riise; Jermaine Pennant, Xabi Alonso, Danny Guthrie, Luis García; Craig Bellamy, Robbie Fowler.