Looking forward to Tuesday’s Champions League clash at Anfield, we bring you a Liverpool vs. Bayer Leverkusen prediction and preview. Can Xabi Alonso outmaneuver his former club?
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Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen: Preview
They’re dubbing it the ‘Xabi Alonso derby.’ Alright, maybe they’re not, but we are.
Alonso enjoyed five years at Liverpool as a player, famously helping the team win one of the most memorable UEFA Champions League finals in history, defeating Milan in a dramatic penalty shootout in 2005.
Now, 19 years later, he returns to Anfield—but this time as the manager of Bayer Leverkusen, guiding them in the same competition.
Leverkusen’s track record in England isn’t promising, with only one win in 11 major European away games (D3 L7). Their sole victory came against Tottenham Hotspur in November 2016 with a 1-0 scoreline, while both prior visits to Anfield ended in defeat.
However, Alonso’s Leverkusen is a new force, having won the Bundesliga last season unbeaten—a first for the club—and they’ve started their Champions League journey with momentum. Leverkusen opened with an emphatic 4-0 victory at Feyenoord, the former club of Liverpool’s current head coach Arne Slot, followed by a 1-0 home win over Milan. Their only stumble so far came with a 1-1 draw at Brest on Matchday 3 of the league phase.
Leverkusen finds themselves seven points behind in the race to defend their Bundesliga title after a 0-0 draw with Stuttgart on Friday. Despite this setback, they have suffered only one defeat across all competitions this season—a 3-2 loss at home to RB Leipzig. Since the beginning of Alonso’s first full season at the BayArena in 2023-24, Leverkusen has lost just twice, amassing an impressive 51 wins and 15 draws.
Interestingly, Leipzig is one of three teams that Liverpool has defeated in this season’s Champions League, alongside Serie A teams Milan and Bologna. Under Arne Slot, Liverpool is one of only two teams, along with Aston Villa, to maintain a perfect record in the league phase after three matches. They have only achieved a winning streak of four games at the start of a Champions League campaign once before—in the 2021-22 season under Jürgen Klopp, when they won their first seven matches and finished as runners-up.
Liverpool has made a strong start under Slot, currently leading the Premier League after a 2-1 comeback victory against Brighton on Saturday. Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah contributed to Slot’s eighth win in his first ten top-flight games, making him the first manager in Liverpool’s history to achieve this milestone.
Salah will aim to score again on Tuesday, having netted in each of his last five Champions League appearances at Anfield (five goals). The last player to score in six consecutive home matches in this competition for an English club was Ruud van Nistelrooy for Manchester United in April 2003 (six).
Liverpool has only lost once in their last 21 European encounters with German teams (W14 D6), with that lone defeat coming against Leverkusen in 2002. They remain unbeaten in their last 13 matches against Bundesliga opponents since then (W10 D3).
The Reds have spent more time in the lead than any other team in the Champions League this season, clocking in at 213:47 and leading for 73% of their total match time. Meanwhile, Leverkusen is one of only six teams that have not trailed at any point during the 2024-25 campaign.
One of Liverpool’s standout performers in the season’s early stages has been Ryan Gravenberch, who leads all Champions League midfielders in recoveries (26) and interceptions (10).
However, Liverpool faces a formidable challenge on Tuesday. Since the start of last season, no team has claimed more wins (11) or scored more goals (37) in European competitions than Bayer Leverkusen. Leverkusen has lost just once in their last 17 European outings (W11 D5), with that defeat occurring in last season’s UEFA Europa League final—a 3-0 loss to Atalanta, who had previously knocked Liverpool out in the quarter-finals.
Florian Wirtz has emerged as a key player for Leverkusen, scoring three goals in three Champions League matches this season, all on the road at Feyenoord (two) and Brest (one). Only two players have scored in each of their first three away games while aged 21 or younger: Erling Haaland in 2019 and Manor Solomon in 2020.
Meanwhile, Aleix García has matched his Bundesliga appearances with his Champions League starts this season (two) but has already completed 13 line-breaking passes ending in the final third in the Champions League—the highest among midfielders in the 2024-25 campaign. The former Girona player has also completed all his attempted long passes in the competition this season (16/16).
Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen: Recent Form
Liverpool (in all competitions): W-W-D-W-W
Bayer Leverkusen (in all competitions): D-W-D-D-W
Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen: Head-to-Head
- Matches: 4
- Liverpool: 3
- Bayer Leverkusen: 0
- Draws: 1
This will mark the fifth encounter between Liverpool and Leverkusen, and their first since 2005.
In 2002, Leverkusen overturned a 1-0 first-leg loss at Anfield with a 4-2 victory at the BayArena, advancing to the Champions League final.
Liverpool got their payback in 2005, defeating Leverkusen 3-1 both at home and away in the Round of 16. Alonso was on Liverpool’s roster at the time but missed both games due to injury.
Interestingly, history favors the winner of this matchup; each time these teams have prevailed in previous Champions League clashes, they went on to reach the final that season.
Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen: Team News and Predicted Lineup
Liverpool – Team News
Ibrahima Konate is available for Liverpool after recovering from a minor arm injury that forced him off at halftime against Brighton & Hove Albion over the weekend.
“Yes, he’s available to play,” head coach Arne Slot confirmed during Monday’s press conference. “I believe he’s fully recovered, so there’s no reason for him to miss out due to the knock. It’s up to me now to decide if he’ll start, but he’s in a good place.”
Slot provided no additional fitness updates, although Alisson Becker, Federico Chiesa, and Diogo Jota remain sidelined until after the November international break, and Harvey Elliott has yet to resume team training.
Both Konate and Alexis Mac Allister are one yellow card away from a Champions League suspension.
“When you’re up against strong teams like Leverkusen—and Liverpool as well—you need to excel in both areas,” Slot noted.
“Unfortunately, we struggled in both aspects in the first half against Brighton. We weren’t sharp with the ball, and we were quite poor without it, especially against a team as adept at playing out from the back as Brighton.”
“That shows us that we need to replicate the level we reached in the second half. In my view, Leverkusen is at least on par with Brighton in terms of ball control. So, we’ll need a much stronger first half and a second-half performance to match.”
Liverpool – Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1)
- Goalkeeper – Kelleher
- Defenders – Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson
- Midfielders – Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai
- Forwards – Salah, Gakpo, Nunez
Bayer Leverkusen – Team News
Alonso is optimistic that summer signing Martin Terrier will be fit for Tuesday’s match after the forward missed Friday’s draw with Stuttgart.
Nordi Mukiele sustained a thigh injury in Leverkusen’s last game and is sidelined until after the November break. Jeremie Frimpong will shift into the wing-back role to fill in for Mukiele.
The team will also be without Amine Adli and Jeanuel Belocian for this midweek clash.
Bayer Leverkusen – Predicted Lineup (3-4-2-1)
- Goalkeeper – Hradecky
- Defenders – Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie
- Midfielders – Frimpong, Xhaka, Andrich, Grimaldo
- Forwards – Terrier, Wirtz, Boniface
Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen: Match Prediction
Playing Liverpool under the lights at Anfield is as challenging as it gets, but Leverkusen have reasons for optimism.
Although Alonso’s return is a notable storyline, the timing of this match—midway through a longer league phase—keeps it from feeling pivotal.
The Reds, sitting comfortably with a perfect record across three games, aren’t in urgent need of points, which might open the door for Leverkusen to come to Merseyside and make their mark, despite some inconsistency in their domestic start to the season.
Alonso is likely to prioritize a cautious approach over high-risk tactics, suggesting a tight, low-scoring contest. A draw wouldn’t be surprising.
Prediction – Liverpool 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen
Where and Where to Watch the Match? Streaming Details and Live Broadcast
The UEFA Champions League 2024-25 match between Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen will be broadcast live in India on Sony Sports Network. The match is scheduled to Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 1:30 AM Indian Standard Time (IST).
Viewers in India can watch the match live from Anfield. Additionally, for those who prefer online streaming, the match will be available for live streaming on the SonyLIV App.
Read More: Champions League 2024/25: Real Madrid vs Milan – Match Preview
Why is Xabi Alonso’s Anfield return special?
Alonso returns as Leverkusen’s coach, facing Liverpool 19 years after helping them win the 2005 Champions League.
How strong is Leverkusen in Europe lately?
Leverkusen have 11 wins from their last 17 European games, with just one loss since last season’s Europa League final.
What’s Liverpool’s record against German teams?
Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 13 games against German teams, with only one loss since 2002.
Which key players are missing?
Leverkusen miss Mukiele, Adli, and Belocian, while Liverpool are without Alisson, Chiesa, and Jota.
