Prediction: Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen

Verdict: Both teams to score

Best odds: 8/15

Bookmaker: 888sport

Xabi Alonso’s much-anticipated return to Liverpool is set for Tuesday evening, as his Bayer Leverkusen squad travels to Anfield for an exciting Champions League meeting.

The Reds have won all three of their games in the early stages of the 2024-25 competition, but in the current format, their sixth-placed German opponents could overtake them in the 36-team standings with a victory on Merseyside.

Liverpool

Just minutes after Jurgen Klopp’s shocking resignation announcement in January, Liverpool fans were eagerly welcoming former midfield star Alonso to take over at Anfield, only for the Leverkusen manager to turn down offers from not one but three of his former clubs to remain with the Bundesliga’s undefeated team.

While Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid accepted Alonso’s choice, Liverpool’s board offered a lucrative deal to Arne Slot, whose start on Merseyside has surpassed expectations.

AC Milan, Bologna, and RB Leipzig have all fallen to Liverpool’s dominance in the opening phase of the 2024/25 Champions League; Darwin Nunez’s goal secured a 1-0 win over Leipzig in October, placing Liverpool just behind Aston Villa in the standings on mere goal-difference.

However, Liverpool nearly faltered in their Premier League match against Brighton and Hove Albion, producing what could be their worst first half under Slot. A second-half surge saw Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah overturn Ferdi Kadioglu’s goal for a challenging but eventually satisfying 2-1 victory.

With both Manchester City and Arsenal dropping points away from home in gameweek 10, Liverpool now lead the Premier League title race, two points ahead of the reigning champions after Slot’s 10th win in 11 league games.

Slot continues to break records, with five straight home wins and at least two goals each time. Liverpool could now achieve four consecutive wins to open a Champions League season for only the second time, the last being in 2021/22 when they reached the final.

Team News

Having injured his arm in the final seconds of the woeful first half against Brighton, Ibrahima Konate was replaced by Joe Gomez. Konate has since confirmed he would be ready for the next game, but given that Gomez performed admirably in the second half, Slot isn’t likely to take any risks with the France international.

Alisson Becker, Diogo Jota and Harvey Elliott remain out of contention until after the international break this month, which means Caoimhin Kelleher and Darwin Nunez will continue to play in goal and up front, respectively.

Kostas Tsimikas has displaced out-of-form Andy Robertson from the starting XI in the last few games, but Slot won’t want the Greek left-back overworked and he could give Robertson another chance on Tuesday.

Bayer Leverkusen

Matching the near-mythical achievements of 2023/24 was always a daunting task for Alonso’s Leverkusen, who came within reach of a historic treble before falling to an Ademola Lookman masterclass in the Europa League final.

This season, however, the Bundesliga Invincibles are solidly on track in Europe’s top competition, having earned seven points from their first nine thanks to wins over Feyenoord and AC Milan, though they were held to a disappointing draw by Ligue 1’s Brest on matchday three.

Die Werkself have developed a pattern of draws, their latest being a scoreless Bundesliga encounter with Stuttgart on Friday, leaving them seven points adrift of resurgent leaders Bayern Munich.

Nonetheless, that draw extended Leverkusen’s unbeaten streak in all competitions to 11 games, and Alonso’s team remains undefeated on the road this season, winning their first four away matches and drawing the last three.

Tuesday’s exciting clash will mark the first Liverpool-Leverkusen meeting since the 2004/05 Champions League, when the Reds secured two 3-1 wins in the last 16 on their way to a historic triumph over AC Milan in the final, though Alonso missed both legs against what would become his future club due to a broken ankle. He did, however, score in that epic final.

Team News

Leverkusen wing-back Nordi Mukiele injured his thigh in the draw with Stuttgart and is expected to be sidelined until after the international break.

Mukiele joins Amine Adli (broken leg) and Jeanuel Belocian (foot) on the injury list, while Martin Terrier also missed Friday’s Bundesliga match, though Alonso hopes he’ll be fit for the Anfield trip.

If Terrier returns, Jeremie Frimpong could shift to cover Mukiele on the right, while attacking mainstay Florian Wirtz aims to become the third player aged 21 or younger – following Erling Haaland and Manor Solomon – to score in his first three away Champions League games.

Conclusion

Liverpool may be riding a golden wave of results under Slot, but none of their wins since early October have been particularly dominant, and signs of fatigue were evident against Brighton in the first half.

Given this, a Leverkusen side known for drawing games in 2024/25 could bring an end to Liverpool’s perfect Champions League run, even if Alonso’s squad isn’t quite the unstoppable force it once was. However, underestimating Liverpool on a European night at Anfield is always a big risk.

Verdict: Both teams to score

Best odds: 8/15

Bookmaker: 888sport