One day before their scheduled Champions League Round of 16 clash with Turkish giants Galatasaray, it was announced that Liverpool’s longtime No. 1 goalkeeper, Alisson Becker, will miss the match in Istanbul after picking up a knock in training.
Make no mistake: even as he begins to enter the twilight of his Liverpool career, Alisson Becker remains an elite shot-stopper.
However, the Brazilian has also accumulated a number of costly individual errors in recent fixtures, particularly when it comes to distributing the ball and venturing off his line to challenge attackers.
Two such gaffes against Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League proved devastating for Liverpool, with the Reds losing both matches in stoppage time.
He was also fortunate that Liverpool managed to beat Nottingham Forest and avoid defeat against Fulham despite making nearly costly mistakes in those contests as well.
With all of that in mind, I felt Liverpool’s recent FA Cup tie against Wolves could have been an ideal opportunity to give Alisson Becker a mental reset, while simultaneously allowing his No. 2 — and potential future successor — Giorgi Mamardashvili the chance to pick up some valuable game time.
Now, while a visit to Wolverhampton and a trip to Istanbul, a frenzied environment where the Reds were beaten 1–0 earlier this campaign, are starkly different stages, Mamardashvili now has the chance to announce himself to Kopites as the man capable of taking over the role in the near future.
Big moments so far this season
Even in his limited minutes this season, Mamardashvili has produced several moments that should give Liverpool supporters confidence that the Reds can leave Istanbul with a positive result while the Georgian guards the net.
It may feel like a lifetime ago to many, but Mamardashvili delivered one of Liverpool’s most notable clean sheets of the season when the Reds kept Real Madrid off the scoresheet in a 1–0 victory over Los Blancos during the Champions League league phase back in November.
Sure, that match may have been one of Liverpool’s strongest collective performances of the season, and Real Madrid managed just two shots on target.
Still, Mamardashvili rose to the moment, producing a crucial point-blank save to deny Jude Bellingham with the score still level at 0–0 in the first half — a stop that helped preserve the momentum before the Reds went on to secure the victory.
Additionally, while poor defending and a cruel deflection led to him conceding three times at the Etihad against Manchester City, the Georgian still showed what he is capable of by producing a big penalty save with the score at 0–0, giving his side the chance to seize the initiative and grab the opening goal.
Ironically, a questionable challenge of his own on Jeremy Doku, the very type of mistake I’ve just criticized Alisson Becker for, led to the penalty. Yet Mamardashvili more than atoned by stonewalling the ever-dangerous Erling Haaland, a feat few goalkeepers in England can claim.
Just one win in five Premier League starts this season with him in net might not seem encouraging, but considering the team’s collectively dreadful run of form over that stretch, particularly in defense, things have overall improved since then.
Expect Mamardashvili to be far more solid between the posts on Tuesday night.
European inspiration
As mentioned earlier, while Mamardashvili kept Real Madrid scoreless and was also in goal for a 5–1 win against Eintracht Frankfurt, if he needs further inspiration for another successful European night, he need look no further than Alisson Becker’s performance against Paris Saint-Germain at this stage of the competition last year.
Liverpool’s club legend delivered a performance for the ages in the 2025 Champions League Round of 16 at the Parc des Princes, making an astonishing 10 high-quality saves against the eventual competition winners.
His heroics allowed the Reds to snatch a memorable 1–0 victory, before ultimately bowing out to the French powerhouse in the second leg.
It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime performance for the Brazilian, as his total saves not only set a career single-game record but also broke the club record for most stops in a Champions League match. The outing was simply nothing short of heroic.
While the defense will hopefully be solid enough to prevent Mamardashvili from being forced into scrambles, he should be studying Alisson’s approach to staying calm under pressure in a hostile away atmosphere during a Champions League knockout game.
Additionally, with the Premier League title certain to change hands by the season's end, Liverpool should be desperate for silverware in the remaining cup competitions, a quest that continues with their clash against Galatasaray.
It’s all the more important to prioritize a push for the Champions League trophy.
With the Reds currently outside the top five domestically and rivals controlling their own destiny with nine games remaining, European glory could well be the surest path back to the Champions League next season.
It’s been encouraging to see Mamardashvili carry himself professionally, patiently waiting for his opportunities after spending most of the season on the bench.
While the other matches he featured in were important, this feels like the most critical of them all — and what a statement it would make for the future if he delivers a commanding performance on a European night.