Key events
A reminder of the teams
Liverpool (4-3-3) Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Tsimikas; Jones, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz.
Substitutes: Jaros, Davies, Gomez, Endo, Szoboszlai, Nunez, Robertson, Quansah, Morton, Bradley.
Bayer Leverkusen (possible 3-5-1-1) Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Palacios, Garcia, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Wirtz; Boniface.
Substitutes: Kovar, Lomb, Hofmann, Andrich, Arthur, Schick, Tella, Onyeka.
Referee Danny Makkelie (Holland)
“Hello from California!” weeps Peter Oh. “Blame it on election day jitters, but I have no idea how this match will turn out. It’s a fascinating technical area matchup, with a Slot machine on one side and a Liverkusen legend on the other.”
Plenty of other games tonight, including Celtic v Leipzig and Ruben Amorim v Pep Guardiola. You can follow those matches with Yara El-Shaboury.
Xabi Alonso talks to Amazon Prime Video (whose panel includes his old dance partner Frank Lampard)
It feels great to be back. It can’t get much better than a Champions League game at Anfield. The new stand looks fantastic and we’re really looking forward to the game.
[Lampard: Have you told your players about the Anfield atmosphere?] Not too much, not too much. We’re focussing more on the opponent. For sure there is a moment when Anfield gets up that you need to have a plan, so let’s see.
It’s mainly about the football and playing against Liverpool, who are probably the best team in Europe at the moment. For us, it’s a great game, probably our toughest [in the league stage].
We need to play with personality, courage and ideas. If we do that, it’s enough to get something from Anfield.
Forty is the new thirty
Xabi Alonso on his return to Anfield
Arne Slot talks to Amazon Prime Video
One of the strengths that this team has had for years is that they know they can fight back, and we had to do that against Brighton because the first half was quite poor from our side and very good from Brighton. I don’t think there was a bit more intensity in the second half, there was a lot more!
[On his team selection tonight] We only have four attackers available at the moment and there a lot of games to be played. I chose not to play Darwin because he has played a lot recently and today is a good game to play Lucho.
It looks like they may have changed their system to play with three midfielders. We have to be ready for both scenarios.
[Is it a special night?] I’m looking forward to every home game, especially in Europe, and this is one of them. The next one [Real Madrid] is pretty big as well.
“Is it too iconoclastic to say that Alonso wasn’t the same player at Liverpool after Lampard broke his ankle?” says Niall Mullen. “Don’t get me wrong, he was better than Christian Poulsen but, in my worthless opinion, he became a much better player after leaving Anfield (possibly because of the slower pace of La Liga). Then again I was there (and utterly bamboozled) when he did this so what do I know?”
Wasn’t the leg break halfway through his first season? He achieved a fair bit after that, including that marvellous assist (very Cole Palmer) and at least 48 goals from inside his own half. But you’d know better than me as a Liverpool fan.
Team news: Konate fit to start
Ibrahima Konate has recovered from injury and starts for Liverpool. That means there are two changes from the XI that beat Brighton on Saturday. Curtis Jones and Luis Diaz replace Dominik Szoboszlai and Darwin Nunez, which may mean Cody Gakpo starting up front.
Xabi Alonso also makes two changes to the Leverkusen side that was held to a goalless draw by Stuttgart. In come Ezequiel Palacios and Aleix Garcia; out go Robert Andrich and the injured Nordi Mukiele.
Preamble
When Jurgen Klopp announced he was leaving Liverpool at the end of last season, there was always a fair chance of seeing Xabi Alonso in the dugout at Anfield in 2024-25 – if not as Liverpool manager then, with Bayer Leverkusen romping to their first ever title, in the newfangled Champions League.
It will come to pass at just before 8pm when Alonso takes his seat for a top-of-the-table clash. (Look, when there are 36 teams, 2nd v 6th counts as top of the table.) It’s 15 years since Alonso last graced Anfield, long enough to make a supercentenarian feel old.
He was a marvellous player who oozed class and intelligence, and the slightly odd end to his Liverpool career (Gareth Barry and all that) doesn’t change his status as a modern Anfield great.
He’s already a Leverkusen legend after leading to the first Bundesliga title in their history. There has inevitably been a bit of second-album syndrome, and they sit seven points behind Bayern Munich after nine games, but they’ll still give anyone a game. Even Liverpool, who are one of Europe’s form teams.
Kick off 8pm. There could be fireworks?!?!?!
