Liverpool vs. Bayer Leverkusen: Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

The highly anticipated Champions League match between Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen and Liverpool is set to take place at Anfield on Tuesday night. It will mark the Spaniard's long-awaited return to his hometown.

The Reds have a perfect 3-0 record in the 2024–25 European competition's early stages, but a win on Merseyside would give sixth-placed Germany the chance to pass them in the 36-team standings.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Alonso, a former midfield maestro for Leverkusen, turned down offers from not one, not two. Still, three teams to remain with the Bundesliga Invincibles just minutes after Jurgen Klopp revealed his resignation in January. Liverpool fans were already preparing to welcome him to Anfield.

Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Liverpool accepted Alonso's choice, so the Anfield administration offered Arne Slot a lucrative deal. Slot's first few months on Merseyside have been better than anybody imagined.

In the early stages of the 2024–25 Champions League, Liverpool have beaten AC Milan, Bologna, and RB Leipzig. In October, Liverpool defeated RB Leipzig 1-0 thanks to a goal from Darwin Nunez; now, they are second in the UCL standings, behind only Aston Villa.

Despite what seemed like Liverpool's worst half of play under Slot in Saturday's Premier League match against Brighton & Hove Albion, the Reds rallied in the second half and beat Brighton 2-1. Goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah, who canceled out Ferdi Kadioglu's opener, were the difference.

Thanks to Manchester City and Arsenal losing away in game week 10, Liverpool is currently in charge of the Premier League championship fight. With ten wins in a row under Slot, they are two points ahead of the defending champions.

All eyes are on the calm Dutchman, who has guided his team to five consecutive home wins, scoring twice each. They can now win all four games in the first four games of a Champions League season, which would be only the second time since 2021-22.

Last season, Alonso's Leverkusen were defeated in the Europa League final by an Ademola Lookman masterpiece. Still, it was always going to be a massive challenge for them to repeat the almost unbelievable achievements of 2023–24.

With victories against Feyenoord and AC Milan, along with a dismal stalemate with Brest on matchday three, the Bundesliga Invincibles have seven points from nine games this season, putting them squarely in the driver's seat of the highest flight of European football.

On Friday, Die Werkself continued their trend of playing out one-pointers this season with a scoreless Bundesliga encounter against Stuttgart. This brings their current goal differential to seven points, seven behind the revitalized Bayern Munich, who are seven points ahead of them.

Leverkusen's undefeated streak in all competitions reached an admirable eleven games despite the lackluster performance. Alonso's squad has not lost a road game this season, having won all four away games in 2024-25 and drawn all three of their previous three.

In Tuesday's intriguing match, Liverpool and Leverkusen will meet for the first time since the 2004–05 season. During that time, Liverpool breezed to a pair of 3-1 victories in the last 16 games en route to an enchanting title lift. However, Alonso could not participate in either leg of that match against his future employers because of a broken ankle.

Liverpool x Bayer Leverkusen Team News

Ibrahima Konate, a crucial defender for Liverpool, suffered an arm injury in the first half of Saturday's match against Brighton and had to be substituted before halftime after enduring excruciating agony while using his shirt as a sling.

Joe Gomez will undoubtedly start right back on Tuesday when Slot discovers the severity of the Frenchman's injury. Alisson Becker (hamstring), Harvey Elliott (foot), Federico Chiesa (fitness), and Diogo Jota (abdominal) will sit on the bench.

After passing Robbie Fowler to become the eighth-highest Premier League scorer of all time on Saturday, Salah has a chance to become the first English player to score in six consecutive Champions League home games since Ruud van Nistelrooy accomplished the feat in 2023 for Manchester United.

Last time out, Konate wasn't the only French defender to suffer an injury; wing-back Nordi Mukiele of Leverkusen damaged his thigh in a tie with Stuttgart and will likely be out until after the international break.

Mukiele is the latest addition to the Leverkusen injury list, including Amine Adli (broken leg) and Jeanuel Belocian (foot). Martin Terrier was likewise ruled out of Friday's Bundesliga match, although Alonso has voiced his desire for Terrier to be fit for the trip to Anfield.

With Terrier back in the lineup, Jeremie Frimpong can take up right-back duties while offensive mainstay Florian Wirtz tries to join Erling Haaland and Manor Solomon as the only players under 21 to score in each of their first three away Champions League matches.

Our Predictions

Full-time Draw @ 4.20 on Sky247.ng

While Slot has kept Liverpool on a winning run, none of their wins since the beginning of October have been particularly decisive. If the first half against Brighton was any indication, exhaustion may have begun to set in.

So, even if Alonso's men aren't as unstoppable as they once were, a Leverkusen team that has been adept at stalemates in 2024–25 may ruin their hosts' pristine Champions League start.

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