SLOT EYES CHANGE OF LUCK

ISTANBUL NOT A HAPPY HUNTING GROUND FOR REDS IN RECENT YEARS

- BY IAN DOYLE

Virgil van Dijk leads the Liverpool players for a training session before flying out to Turkey

RNE Slot reaches a landmark century of games in charge of Liverpool this evening.

But while Istanbul may evoke strong memories of celebration for Liverpool supporters, the Reds have suffered nothing but frustration and disappointment against local opposition in the city.

Slot discovered that in September when his team suffered a Champions League misstep when losing 1-0 to Galatasaray.

That it was only the second matchday in the league stage meant there was plenty of scope for Liverpool to address that defeat, eventually finishing third in the table.

There is, though, significantly less margin for error when the Reds step out into the cacophony of the RAMS Arena this evening for the first leg of their round of 16 clash.

For Slot, victory would be a 63rd in his first 100 in charge and break the club record currently held by Kenny Dalglish.

"It makes me really proud that I became Liverpool manager and that it's going to be my 100th game," said the Reds boss. "I don't think I have a bad track record although sometimes you get a different feeling about that if I have to listen to everything!