18.03.2026 01:12
Galatasaray's head coach Okan Buruk spoke before the match against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg. Reacting to the punishment given by UEFA, Okan Buruk said, "This punishment is not fair. It is also not right to allocate the section for Galatasaray fans to Liverpool. Different people are being punished for someone else's mistake. The punishment is not correct, it is not fair. It is not justified, it is not right."
Galatasaray's head coach Okan Buruk made statements at a press conference before the match against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg.
"WE SHOWED THIS ATHLETICISM"
Speaking about the matches against Liverpool, Okan Buruk said, "Of course, we showed this athleticism in these two matches, that is, in both matches against Liverpool. We are a physically strong team. We fought physically and showed athleticism. When you add quality into the mix, you actually create a chance to play head-to-head. Of course, we played two home matches. Now we will face Liverpool for the third time, but we will be playing away."
"WE KNOW OUR OPPONENT"
The experienced coach continued, "We know our opponent, and they know us too. It will be important to see their strengths and weaknesses. We have a deficiency with Davinson Sanchez. This is certainly an important loss for us, but we have many ready friends who can play in his place."
"WE WILL PLAY TO WIN"
Okan Buruk stated that they will be on the field to win and said, "As I said, we will play to win. Once again, we need to play to win, not just to avoid conceding goals, but to really defend together during the game and then convert the chances we will create into goals."
"IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE"
The successful coach expressed that his only dream is to advance and said, "Being in this stadium is really wonderful. Entering here, imagining tomorrow's match here, playing it in our minds is valuable. It's a very important night for Turkish football, not just for Galatasaray. We have had ups and downs in our Champions League journey, but we have gained a lot of experience. We need to reflect this experience on the field. We will be playing against a very good team. Both the players and the coach are important figures. Their biggest goal this year is to succeed in the Champions League. We have beaten our opponent twice, but those were at our home. Now it's a new adventure, an away match. I believe in my players. I dream of them giving their utmost and asking why we shouldn't leave here with a win. Hopefully, we will realize this dream."
REACTION TO UEFA
Buruk also addressed UEFA's punishment of Galatasaray's fans, stating, "Having fans is very important, but this is also a motivation. This punishment is not fair. It is also not right to assign the section of Galatasaray fans to Liverpool. Different people are being punished for the mistakes of others. Punishment is not right, it is not fair. It is not justified, it is not correct. We will play for our fans here. Wherever we go, they support us. We will play for them. This is an important opportunity for us."