Xabi Alonso’s much-anticipated return to Liverpool is set for Tuesday night, when his Bayer Leverkusen team visits Anfield for a thrilling Champions League showdown.
Liverpool have been perfect so far in this season’s European campaign, winning all three of their group-stage matches. However, Leverkusen, currently sitting in sixth place in Germany’s Bundesliga, could leapfrog them with a win in Merseyside.
It wasn’t long after Jurgen Klopp’s shock resignation announcement in January that Liverpool fans were hoping Alonso would take the reins at Anfield. But despite the warm welcome from his old club, Alonso chose to stay put at Leverkusen, turning down offers from Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid to remain with the Bundesliga side.
While Liverpool adjusted to life without Alonso in charge, they quickly moved to sign Dutch coach Arne Slot, whose tenure has exceeded even the most optimistic expectations.
Slot has guided Liverpool to a perfect start in the Champions League, with wins over AC Milan, Bologna, and RB Leipzig. In fact, Darwin Núñez’s lone goal in a 1-0 victory over Leipzig in October left Liverpool just behind Aston Villa in the UCL standings.
Despite a less-than-ideal first half against Brighton in Saturday's Premier League match, Liverpool showed resilience with a second-half comeback, securing a hard-fought 2-1 win.
The victory, along with slips from Manchester City and Arsenal, put Liverpool in control of the Premier League title race, two points clear of City at the top after their tenth win in the last eleven games under Slot.
Slot’s reign has seen Liverpool set some impressive records, including five straight home wins, each with at least two goals, and the chance to win their first four Champions League games for just the second time, after doing so in the 2021-22 season.
On the other hand, Alonso’s Leverkusen have had a more modest start to the season. After narrowly missing out on a historic treble last season, they’ve started the 2024-25 campaign strongly, picking up seven points from their opening nine games in Europe.
They’ve beaten Feyenoord and AC Milan but were held to a frustrating draw by Brest. Leverkusen’s recent Bundesliga form has been patchy, with three draws in their last four games, including a goalless stalemate with Stuttgart on Friday. Still, they’ve been solid on the road, winning all four of their away games this season.
Tuesday’s match will be the first time Liverpool and Leverkusen have met since the 2004-05 Champions League, when the Reds won both legs of their last-16 tie 3-1 on the way to lifting the famous trophy. Alonso, though, wasn’t involved in those matches due to a broken ankle.
This time around, the stakes are just as high, with both teams eager to continue their strong starts to the season in what promises to be a cracking encounter.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Liverpool’s first half against Brighton on Saturday was a nightmare, with everything that could go wrong, doing just that. The biggest blow came when Ibrahima Konaté had to be substituted at halftime due to a painful arm injury, using his shirt as a makeshift sling as he limped off the pitch in obvious discomfort.
Thankfully, the injury doesn’t seem to be too serious, and Konaté has made a quick recovery, meaning he will be available for Tuesday’s Champions League clash. However, Liverpool will still be without a few key players: Alisson Becker (hamstring), Harvey Elliott (foot), Federico Chiesa (fitness), and Diogo Jota (abdominal) will all miss out and watch from the sidelines.
On a more positive note, Mohamed Salah moved into eighth place on the Premier League’s all-time scoring list on Saturday, surpassing Robbie Fowler. He now has the chance to make history again, as he could become the first player in 21 years to score in six consecutive Champions League home games for an English club. The last player to achieve this feat was Ruud van Nistelrooy for Manchester United in 2003.
Leverkusen, meanwhile, has been hit with injury setbacks of its own. Wing-back Nordi Mukiele injured his thigh in the 0-0 draw with Stuttgart and will likely be out until after the international break.
He joins Amine Adli (broken leg) and Jeanuel Belocian (foot injury) on the treatment table, and Martin Terrier, who also missed the Stuttgart match, hasn’t made the trip to England either.
Despite these absences, Xabi Alonso has some options to shuffle his squad. Jonas Hofmann could step up into a more attacking role, while Jeremie Frimpong will likely take over from Mukiele on the right.
Meanwhile, young star Florian Wirtz will be aiming to become just the third player under 21, following Erling Haaland and Manor Solomon, to score in each of his first three Champions League away appearances.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Jones, Diaz; Nunez
Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:
Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Garcia, Grimaldo; Hofmann, Wirtz; Boniface
EXPERT PREDICTION
Liverpool 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen
Liverpool’s impressive run of results under Arne Slot continues, but none of their victories since the start of October have been convincing blowouts. If the first half against Brighton on Saturday was anything to go by, fatigue may finally be starting to take its toll.
That could open the door for Bayer Leverkusen, who, despite being experts in drawing games this season, have the chance to end Liverpool’s perfect Champions League record. While Xabi Alonso’s side may not be quite as dominant as they once were, they’re still a dangerous team capable of causing problems for the Reds.
