Xabi Alonso returns to Anfield on Tuesday night as his Bayer Leverkusen side take on Liverpool in the Champions League stage.
Alonso’s long-awaited return to Merseyside comes on matchday four of the new format, with Leverkusen facing a Liverpool side who have won their first three league matches to sit joint-top of the table with Aston Villa.
The Bundesliga champions impressively beat Feyenoord and Milan in their opening two games before being knocked out by Brest, the surprise package of Matchday 3. Their record is enough to have them in the last eight first as the half approaches.
Leverkusen will benefit from having an extra day to recover as they prepare for a daunting visit to Anfield under the lights. Alonso’s side were held by Stuttgart at home on Friday night, with Bayern Munich’s subsequent victory over Union Berlin meaning Leverkusen are now seven points clear of Die Roten in the Bundesliga table.
Liverpool, meanwhile, continue to impress with Arne Slot at the helm. A come from behind 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion Saturday saw them climb to the top of the Premier League table after Manchester City’s defeat at Bournemouth. Slot’s Reds have lost just once in all competitions this term.
here it is 90 minutes guide to Liverpool against Bayer Leverkusen in the match Champions League.
Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen H2H Record (all matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Liverpool |
Bayer Leverkusen |
|---|---|
|
Liverpool – Brighton 2-1 – 02/11/24 |
Bayer Leverkusen 0-0 Stuttgart – 01/11/24 |
|
Brighton 2-3 Liverpool – 30/10/24 |
Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 SV Elversberg – 29/10/24 |
|
Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool – 27/10/24 |
Werder Bremen 2-2 Bayer Leverkusen – 26/10/24 |
|
RB Leipzig 0-1 Liverpool – 23/10/24 |
Brest 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen – 23/10/24 |
|
Liverpool – Chelsea 2-1 – 20/10/24 |
Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt – 19/10/24 |
|
country |
TV channel/live broadcast |
|---|---|
|
united kingdom |
Amazon Prime |
|
united states |
Paramount+ |
|
canada |
DAZN |
Ibrahima Konate was sent off at half-time on Saturday after fellow centre-back Virgil van Dijk inadvertently bumped his arm, but the Frenchman eased fears of a prolonged absence on Sunday when he revealed scans showed no fracture.
The defender hopes to play on Tuesday, but Slot and his medical team could take a more cautious stance.
Liverpool are without Diogo Jota, Alisson and Harvey Elliott until after the international break, while Federico Chiesa has suffered multiple setbacks as he tries to recover from a muscle injury.
Liverpool’s predicted line-up against Bayer Leverkusen (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Jones, Diaz; Núñez
Alonso hopes summer arrival Martin Terrier will be available for Tuesday’s game after the striker missed Friday’s stalemate with Stuttgart.
Nordi Mukiele picked up a thigh injury during Leverkusen’s previous outing and will be sidelined until after the November break. Jeremie Frimpong will move to full-back to cover the Frenchman’s absence.
The visitors are also without Amine Adli and Jeanuel Belocian for this midweek game.
Bayer Leverkusen predicted line-up against Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Garcia, Grimaldo; Terrier, Wirtz; Boniface
Facing Liverpool under the Anfield lights is as tough as it gets, but Leverkusen have reason to believe.
Despite the context surrounding Alonso’s homecoming, this game will not be particularly significant given that it comes midway through a long league run.
The Reds are not exactly desperate for three points after maintaining a 100% record for three matches and there is scope for the visitors to come onto Merseyside and make a job of the hosts, despite their early domestic form of the new season has been. far from flawless.
Alonso will favor safety over exuberance here, with a tricky affair ahead. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the spoils were shared in a low-scoring affair.
