Besiktas vs Liverpool: Preview, Team News, Likely Line-Up & Predicted Score

Liverpool will be looking to book their place in the last 16 of the Europa League when they play Besiktas in Istanbul this evening.

The Reds head into the second leg holding a slim 1-0 advantage after Mario Balotelli scored a late penalty to secure a first leg win at Anfield last week.

Brendan Rodgers side followed that up with a 2-0 victory over Southampton at St Mary’s on Sunday to make it just one defeat in 18 matches in all competitions.

Liverpool have fond memories of the Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadium as it was the setting for one of the greatest night’s in the clubs history as they came from three-goals down to beat AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final.

Rodgers will be hoping for a far less dramatic game this evening with qualification to the next stage the only order of business as the Merseysiders prepare to face Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday.

Team news

Liverpool arrived in Turkey with a severely depleted squad as Jordan Henderson became the latest to be ruled out with a minor ankle injury.

Phillipe Coutinho did not travel as he’s been rested ahead of the City game while Steven Gerrard continues to nurse a hamstring injury.

Lazar Markovic serves the second game of his four-match European suspension so joins Lucas Leiva, Mamadou Sakho, Glen Johnson and Jon Flanagan in missing the match.

Besiktas have problems of their own as they will be without Ersan Gulum and Ramon as the duo are both suspended, and Demba Ba is a major doubt with a calf problem.

Tolga Zengin, Ismail Koybasi, Cenk Tosun, Alexander Milosevic and Gokhan Tore are also missing through injury.

Likely Line-Up

Predicted Score

Besiktas 1-1 Liverpool: Both teams have their injury problems but I’d expect an in-form Liverpool side to do enough to secure qualification to the next round of the competition.

What do you think? What team would you like to see start and whats your predicted score?