Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen: Match Preview & Prediction

• Liverpool take on Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen on Matchday 4 of Champions League league phase
• Xabi Alonso returns to Anfield as visiting manager
• Reds have won their opening three league phase games

Xabi Alonso returns to Anfield on Tuesday night as his Bayer Leverkusen team take on Liverpool in the Champions League league phase.

Alonso’s long-awaited Merseyside return arrives on Matchday 4 of the new format, with Leverkusen facing a Liverpool side that have won their opening three league phase encounters to sit joint-top of the table with Aston Villa.

The Bundesliga champions impressively beat Feyenoord and Milan in their first two games before drawing away at surprise-package Brest on Matchday 3. Their record is enough to have them in the top eight as the halfway point approaches.

Leverkusen will benefit from having an extra day’s recovery as they prepare for a daunting visit to Anfield under the lights. Alonso’s team were held by Stuttgart on home soil on Friday night, with Bayern Munich’s subsequent victory over Union Berlin meaning Leverkusen are already seven points adrift 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 on Saturday saw them climb to the top of the Premier League table following Manchester City’s defeat at Bournemouth. Slot’s Reds have lost just once in all competitions this term.

Liverpool team news

Ibrahima Konate was forced off against Brighton on Saturday /GettyImages

Ibrahima Konate was forced off at half-time on Saturday after his arm was inadvertently stamped on by centre-back partner Virgil van Dijk, but the Frenchman alleviated fears over a prolonged absence on Sunday when he revealed that scans showed no fracture.

The defender is hopeful of playing on Tuesday, but Slot and his medical team might 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 while attempting to recover from a muscle injury.

Bayer Leverkusen team news

Nordi Mukiele suffered a thigh injury against Stuttgart /GettyImages

Alonso is hopeful that summer arrival Martin Terrier will be available for Tuesday’s game after the forward missed Friday’s stalemate with Stuttgart.

Nordi Mukiele picked up a thigh injury during Leverkusen’s previous outing and will be out until after the November break. Jeremie Frimpong will drop into a wing-back position to cover the Frenchman’s absence.

The visitors are also without Amine Adli and Jeanuel Belocian for this midweek fixture.

Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen prediction

Facing Liverpool under the lights at Anfield is as tough as it gets, but Leverkusen have reason to believe.

Despite the context surrounding Alonso’s homecoming, this fixture won’t feel particularly significant given that it arrives halfway through an extended league phase.

The Reds aren’t exactly desperate for three points having maintained a 100% record through three games and there’s scope for the visitors to enter Merseyside and do a job on the hosts, even if their domestic form at the start of the new season has been far from spotless.

Alonso will favour security over exuberance here, with a cagey affair in the offing. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the spoils are shared in a low-scoring affair.

Prediction: Liverpool 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen

Credit: 90Mins