Fenerbahçe Wants to Stop Liverpool

Fenerbahçe welcomes Liverpool on Wednesday in Round 4 of the UEFA Champions League. The match will kick off at 20:45 local time at Chobani Stadium in Istanbul.

The Yellow Canaries are in a difficult position after collecting only two points from their first three European matches. After a 1-1 draw with Roma, the team drew 2-2 with Slavia Prague. In between, a 6-0 defeat away to Aston Villa added to their problems. Losing a two-goal lead in the Slavia game hurt the team's morale. In the league, Fenerbahçe have also lost back-to-back matches to Galatasaray and Göztepe, and they sit 31st in the 36-team league phase.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have three wins from three matches, giving them nine points and a move up to third place. The English side beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 and LASK 6-3, and defeated Villarreal 4-3. With 12 goals scored in three matches, they are one of the tournament's most prolific teams. This will be the first official meeting between the two clubs.

The man in the spotlight is Dirk Kuyt. The former Dutch international spent six seasons at Liverpool between 2006 and 2012, playing 285 matches and scoring 71 goals. He joined Fenerbahçe in 2012, and on 28 October he was appointed interim head coach after İsmail Kartal resigned. Kartal had stepped down following a 2-1 defeat in the Istanbul derby against Galatasaray. Kuyt has yet to earn his first win, as Fenerbahçe lost 2-1 to Göztepe. Fenerbahçe's biggest task is to fix their defensive problems and regroup against Liverpool's attacking power.