How Mohamed Salah can overtake Jamie Carragher and Thierry Henry in Galatasaray vs. Liverpool

Liverpool wing wizard Mohamed Salah could write two more chapters of European history when the Reds tackle Galatasaray in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 showdown on Tuesday night.

Arne Slot's men return to Rams Park seeking revenge for September's 1-0 league-phase loss to the Turkish Super Lig giants, in which Salah was only brought off the bench for the final half an hour.

That defeat foreshadowed Salah's infamous stint out of the Liverpool starting XI, which triggered the attacker's explosive rant against the club in December, just before his departure for the Africa Cup of Nations.

However, the one-time Chelsea man has regained his status as an unquestioned starter under Slot and has already scored in back-to-back appearances against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League and FA Cup this month.

The 33-year-old was also on target during Liverpool's most recent UCL game - a 6-0 demolition of Qarabag - and is expected to reprise his role on the right-hand side of the attack for the trip to Turkey.

Mohamed Salah aiming to overtake Thierry Henry in Galatasaray vs. Liverpool

Salah only needs to play one minute of Tuesday's first leg to make history, though, as his next appearance in the Champions League/European Cup for the Reds would be a new club record.

The Egypt international has already played 80 games for Liverpool in Europe's premier tournament, the same number that Jamie Carragher managed, and Salah is now poised to overtake his recent vocal critic.

Furthermore, should the winger find the back of the net at Rams Park, he will become the first African player to net 50 goals in the Champions League, having bagged his 49th against Qarabag.

In October 2024, Salah surpassed the previous UCL goalscoring record for African players set by Didier Drogba (44), and his current total of 49 is level with Real Madrid icon Alfredo Di Stefano.

The Liverpool legend will also equal Thierry Henry's 50 Champions League strikes with just one more goal in the tournament, and if he bags a brace to overtake the Frenchman, he will become the outright 10th-highest European Cup scorer in history.

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah set for unmissable Victor Osimhen battle

Salah will not be the only African footballing icon on the Rams Park pitch this week, as the Galatasaray line will be led by Victor Osimhen, scorer of the winning goal when these two sides met in September.

The Nigerian's strike against the Reds six months ago was one of seven goals he has already managed in the 2025-26 Champions League - only three players (Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Anthony Gordon) have registered more.

Furthermore, with 16 goals to show from his first 25 Champions League appearances, Osimhen ranks second for all African players at that point in the competition, only behind Serhou Guirassy's 18 strikes in 25 games.

Osimhen has been finding the back of the net for fun in the Turkish Super Lig too, as Saturday's winner against Besiktas marked the 27-year-old's eighth goal from his last eight top-flight appearances.