It will be an Anfield reunion for Xabi Alonso on Tuesday night when he leads his Leverkusen side to take on Liverpool. Here are predictions, team news, betting tips, and possible line-ups for the game.
Liverpool have been perfect in the UEFA Champions League so far, with three wins in as many matches.
The Reds also returned to the top of the English Premier League after a 2-1 win over Brighton , making the most of Manchester City’s loss to Bournemouth.
Arne Slot was not the first name on the minds of most Liverpool fans after Jurgen Klopp announced his departure, but he has seamlessly transitioned the team into a new era.
Xabi Alonso was the anointed one among the Liverpool faithfuls, but the Spaniard chose to remain with Bayer Leverkusen after a historic season that saw them win a first ever Bundeliga title, the DFB Pokal, and reach the Europa League final.
However, this campaign has fallen short of the lofty heights reached last season, as Die Werkself are already seven points behind league leaders Bayern Munich and have drawn three of their last four matches.
Leverkusen’s start to the UCL has been good, taking seven points so far with wins over Feyenoord and AC Milan and a disappointing draw with Ligue 1 outfit Brest in their most recent UCL game.
Both teams will meet for the first time since the 2004-05 UCL, when the Reds won 3-1 in both legs in a round of 16 clash en route to lifting the trophy.
The Reds have enjoyed this fixture in the UCL over the years, winning three of the four encounters between, only losing in the second leg of the 2001-02 quarterfinal meeting.
Ibrahima Konate was substituted at halftime due to an arm injury in Liverpool’s win over Brighton, with the length of his recovery time yet to be revealed.
Alisson Becker (hamstring), Harvey Elliott (foot), Federico Chiesa (fitness), and Diogo Jota (abdominal) are all also sidelined for the Reds.
Mo Salah overtook Robbie Fowler to move into eighth place in the Premier League’s all-time scoring chart on Saturday. He could also become the first player since Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2003 to score in six consecutive Champions League home games for an English club.
Leverkusen will be without wing-back Nordi Mukiele, who picked up a thigh injury last weekend, while Amine Adli (broken leg) and Jeanuel Belocian (foot) remain sidelined.
Meanwhile, Martin Terrier will have to recover in time to determine if he will feature in this clash.
Victor Boniface netted the winning goal against Milan on match day two, and he will be hoping to add to his tally on Tuesday.
