Former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch has commented on the poor combined form of both Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike ahead of Liverpool’s second leg showdown with Galatasaray in the Champions League.
Arne Slot will be desperate for his team to turn around that one-goal deficit from the first leg, when the Reds return to Anfield on Wednesday night, as his future in the dug-out continues to be on very thin ice.
The boos were clearly audible at the close of Liverpool’s dire 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, as an unconvincing home display saw ex-Everton menace Richarlison fire home a late leveller, to ramp up the pressure on the under-fire Dutchman.
It simply hasn’t been good enough across recent matches, with the 1-0 loss in Istanbul still stinging ahead of Wednesday’s second leg.
Worryingly, Salah and Ekitike are suffering from notable drops in performance levels as two of the Reds most exciting attacking prospects.
Across their last three games in all competitions, only one goal has been put away, with Salah bagging a breakaway strike in the FA Cup versus Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Ekitike has even had to make do with spots on the substitutes bench as of late, as a last-gasp move against Spurs saw the out-of-form Frenchman hit a shot straight at the heroic body of Radu Dragusin for the away side.
Ekitike does have 16 goals next to his name in all competitions this season, with his Egyptian counterpart also an enthralling presence to watch in the attacking areas at full flow.
They’ll need to be at their A-Game for Liverpool to overcome Galatasaray this mid-week, with former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch weighing in on his thoughts on the underwhelming duo, ahead of Champions League action returning to Anfield.
Crouch’s worrying verdict on Salah & Ekitike
Crouch was well-known to the neutral in England as a towering centre-forward when he was still playing for a wide array of Premier League clubs.
42 of his 199 career goals, which saw him line up for the likes of Stoke City and Igor Tudor’s Spurs, came about when donning Liverpool red, as nine of those fell into his lap in Europe’s premier competition.
In the build-up to the Gala second leg, the now-retired striker has offered these thoughts on a disjointed Reds attack.
He said: “Salah has been really disappointing considering his performances last year.
Ekitike is kind of a hit, but him and Salah haven’t connected in any type of way.”
Mohamed Salah Assists to Hugo Ekitiké (2025/26 Season):
| Assists | Date | Opponent | Competition |
| 1 | December 13 2025 | Brighton | Premier League |
There’s significant weight behind Crouch’s comments here, considering the celebrated winger has only assisted the former Reims marksman once so far this season, when Ekitike nodded home his corner kick delivery against Brighton and Hove Albion.
Regardless of these uninspiring displays up top, the former Liverpool striker is backing Slot’s men to overcome their 1-0 setback.
He concluded: “Galatasaray were good for their win, and they deserved it. But I wouldn’t write Liverpool off in the second leg.
“Certainly at Anfield, they’ve done it before. It’s a difficult place to go [Galatasaray], but I think they’ll be able to get that tie done in the second leg.”
Liverpool have been here before during some magical mid-week nights in the Champions League on their own stomping ground, with the remarkable 4-0 win over Barcelona in 2019 immediately springing to mind.
They won’t have to pull off an equally daring comeback to win on Wednesday night, but they’ll have to be switched on, as Salah and Ekitike attempt to spearhead a confidence-boosting win.
