As Liverpool prepares to kickoff their Champions League Round of 16 tie against Galatasaray on Tuesday, there will be no shortage of players that Arne Slot needs to see step up.
The Reds already lost to this same side, in this same venue, earlier this season in the UCL league phase, so there should not be any illusions of grandeur from the lads.
With that in mind, Liverpool are still considered the favorites over the two legs to advance to the Quarterfinal, but they will need these players to step up on Tuesday to get things off to a good start for the club.
Ibrahima Konate
The powerful Frenchman did not start over the weekend for Liverpool's comfortable FA Cup win over Wolves, so he will be fully rested and ready for this Galatasaray test.
He will need to be on point, as the ever dangerous Victor Osimhen will once again be a nuisance and has the ability to take a goal from anywhere in the final third. Konate will be essential to taking away that space.
He's had a somewhat up-and-down season across the board, as some nights he looks imperious and confident, only to look completely lost 3 or 4 nights later.
Our hosts on Tuesday offer plenty of threat going forward, so Konate has to have a good night or it could add a lot of pressure on Virgil van Dijk or whoever it is that plays at right back.
He has the physical tools to shutdown almost any forward in the world, and if he has all of them on display in Istanbul, then the Reds could very well be in contention for an away leg victory.
Rio Ngumoha
Each time I watch Rio play for Liverpool, I get more and more excited for the future and now. He's obviously still so young, but he plays with a confidence most 17-year old's outside of Lamine Yamal don't normally implement these days.
While Ngumoha is not Yamal, he is already a very gifted footballer that is Arne Slot's best option on the left wing at the moment. Cody Gakpo is a fine player, but right now, Rio is the more consistent threat from almost anywhere on the pitch.
Now, will Slot trust him enough to start a Champions League Round of 16 tie in Turkey? Probably not, and good money is on Gakpo to get the nod.
However, even off the bench for 30-40 minutes, he could do a job and create something for the side if it comes down to it.
He's too good and playing too well for the club to pull the reigns back right now, if anything, they need to let him run and see where he can take them. It just might be the UCL last 8.
Florian Wirtz
Liverpool should have their creative maestro back in the fold on Tuesday as the German made his return from a brief injury scare to play the final few minutes of the FA Cup win on Friday.
He was in the best form of the season before picking up a slight back injury, so if he is able to rekindle that form right away, it should take the Reds attack to the next level once again.
His attacking versatility means Slot can play him in a variety of places, but if he is given the 10 role, where he can pull all the strings and dictate what happens all night long, the Gala defenders could be in for a long night.
Of the players on this list, he is the most proven at being a matchwinner and any moment he is on the ball, some piece of magic could be just around the corner.
If he is fully ready to go, his connection with Hugo Ekitike will also be critical in unlocking what is sure to be a disciplined Galatasaray defense.
There are few players in the world that can do what Wirtz can do, and Liverpool's No. 7 could use Tuesday as his first truly memorable performance in his young Reds career.