Andoni Iraola tells Liverpool to kill Fenerbahce's confidence in Istanbul as Cody Gakpo jokes about diving more after Arsenal defeat

Andoni Iraola has told Liverpool to kill Fenerbahce's confidence in Istanbul as they chase a fourth straight Champions League win. Cody Gakpo, meanwhile, joked that the Reds maybe should dive more after two big calls went against them in Sunday's defeat to Arsenal, a result that left them nine points behind the reigning champions in the Premier League.

Iraola wants Liverpool to kill Fenerbahce's momentum

Speaking at his pre-match press conference in Istanbul, Iraola admitted that the city will always be special for Liverpool, but warned his side to expect a tough night against Fenerbahce tomorrow. The Reds are third in the Champions League league phase after winning all three of their games, while their hosts are 31st with just two points from two draws and a defeat, a 6-0 thrashing by Aston Villa.

"I think Istanbul is going to be special for Liverpool, you cannot find another night like [2005], a comeback like that," Iraola said. "Tomorrow, I know it will be tough, always difficult to come to Turkey and play. Fenerbahce have experience and a good squad, they know how to play in the Champions League, so we have to kill their confidence and the momentum. I think we've had better results in the Champions League and Carabao [Cup] than [the] Premier League. We want to continue this run in the Champions League, three games, nine points. We can go to 12 and we try to finish in the top eight, but Champions League away days are tough. Mentally we have to be ready."

Iraola warns Liverpool to press Kuyt's Fenerbahce properly

Fenerbahce have also changed their manager, with former Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt now in the dugout. Iraola explained that there is little footage of Kuyt's side to study, but insisted the players remain the same. "Fenerbahce have changed their manager, players haven't, we know the players, the team, and not many games to analyse with Kuyt [compared] to the previous manager, but I don't think they have changed the style too much. We have to take care of the players who can make the difference," he said.

The Spaniard also stressed the importance of pressing from the first whistle. "I think Fenerbahce is a team that has very good players, very good technical level. If we don't press them properly, we can allow them to control the game. They have experienced players, so the stronger we start, the fewer chances they will have."

Gakpo frustrated by refereeing calls against Arsenal

Gakpo, who also faced the media, admitted Sunday's refereeing decisions at Anfield were hard to take. "It can be frustrating at times. But at the end it's the referee's decision. We as a team play pretty fair and maybe we should dive some more like the gaffer said, but no. We play pretty fair. On both occasions [they] could have given a penalty or a foul but they decided not to and we have to live with it," the Netherlands international said.

Iraola revealed he has not sought an explanation for the calls. "No, I haven't asked for one and haven't had one. I don't have time, honestly. I just prepare for this, focus on this and the opposition." Gakpo added: "At the moment [it's] nine points. Arsenal are a very good team, they showed that in phases of the game. We are a team in progress, growing in certain aspects. We can be close if we have a very good day, but we are working on consistency."

Gravenberch a doubt as Liverpool chase 12 points

Ryan Gravenberch is a doubt with a heel problem. "It's a day-to-day thing, it's a heel injury, it's about the pain," Iraola said, adding that the midfielder was not 100 per cent while warming up against Arsenal.

Liverpool hope to have him back for the weekend, while victory tomorrow would take them to 12 points and closer to a top-eight finish.