LIVERPOOL: The defeat to Arsenal in a fierce Premier League (EPL) match is not expected to break Liverpool’s momentum as they are now eyeing a fourth consecutive victory in the Champions League (UCL) when they face Fenerbahce in Istanbul early Thursday morning.
The journey in the EPL is still long, but Arsenal’s victory at Anfield is considered a crucial decision for both teams.
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola also could not hide his disappointment over the incident that became the focus of the match when Jurrien Timber’s action of pulling Alexander Isak’s shirt in the penalty box was not penalised by referee Andy Madley.
The match was decided by a narrow margin, but the defeat sees Liverpool now nine points behind Arsenal, who are back at the top of the league table.
However, Liverpool displayed a convincing performance and are in a better position on the UCL stage after winning all three previous matches.
The Reds’ injury list has also been decreasing since the last international break, in addition to several key players starting to show improved performance, including Isak, who is now second in the EPL scoring list with six goals.
Liverpool’s performance is seen to be improving, in contrast to Fenerbahce who are currently sixth in the Turkish Super League after suffering two consecutive defeats.
The Istanbul giants are among the biggest spenders in Turkish football and have also made major changes to their attacking line-up in the summer transfer window by bringing in Romelu Lukaku, Mason Greenwood and Vedat Muriqi from Napoli, Marseille and Mallorca.
Muriqi was previously part of the Mallorca squad that was relegated to the Segunda Division, but still finished the season as La Liga’s second-highest scorer with 23 goals, just two goals short of Kylian Mbappe.
The Kosovo striker also made a brilliant start to his new club, scoring seven goals in 10 league appearances.
Fenerbahce have scored 24 goals in the league, but their defensive weaknesses were clearly evident when they were thrashed 6-0 by Aston Villa in the second leg of the UCL.
Despite playing at home in two out of three UCL matches so far, Fenerbahce still failed to record a win and only collected two points.
Victory over Liverpool is seen as very important for the team, who have to endure three away matches in the remaining four league phase matches.
However, their preparations have been affected by fitness issues for Greenwood and defender Nathan Ake, who has not played since the 2-2 draw against Slavia Prague in the third leg of the UCL.
Fenerbahce, who are plagued by injury problems, also lost 2-1 to Goztepe, a mid-league team, in last Saturday’s match.
Therefore, they will face a much tougher test against Liverpool and risk becoming victims of The Reds’ resurgence on the European stage.