Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen facts

Xabi Alonso returns to the club where he won the UEFA Champions League as his Bayer Leverkusen side travel to Liverpool on Matchday 4.

Alonso's former club are one of only two teams – along with domestic rivals Aston Villa – to have won all three games this season, recording away victories at AC Milan (3-1) and Leipzig (1-0) either side of a 2-0 home win against Bologna. Leverkusen's own perfect start was ended by a 1-1 Matchday 3 draw at debutants Brest; they had previously won 4-0 at Feyenoord and 1-0 at home to Milan.

Previous meetings

Matches 4
Liverpool wins 3
Leverkusen wins 1
Draws 0
Liverpool goals 9
Leverkusen goals 6

2001/02 Champions League quarter-finals
Liverpool 1-0 Leverkusen
Leverkusen 4-2 Liverpool
Sami Hyypiä's first-leg winner was cancelled out by Michael Ballack early in the return. Abel Xavier restored Liverpool's aggregate advantage before half-time, but two goals in five minutes from Ballack (64) and Dimitar Berbatov (68) turned the tie Leverkusen's way and, though Jari Litmanen gave Liverpool the edge on away goals with 11 minutes left, they had no answer to Lúcio's strike five minutes later.

2004/05 Champions League round of 16
Liverpool 3-1 Leverkusen
Leverkusen 1-3 Liverpool
Luis García, John Arne Riise and Dietmar Hamann were all on target at Anfield and, though França pulled one back in the final seconds, by the time Jacek Krzynówek scored the German side's second goal of the tie with two minutes remaining in Leverkusen, Liverpool were out of sight thanks to strikes from García (2) and Milan Baroš.

Form guide

Liverpool 

Record vs German clubs: W23 D14 L6 F72 A35
Home record vs German clubs: W15 D4 L0

This is Liverpool's second successive Champions League game against a German club, Darwin Núñez's first-half strike having earned a 1-0 victory at Leipzig on 23 October.

The Reds have seven wins in their last eight games against German clubs (D1) and are unbeaten in 13 (W10 D3) since that 2002 defeat at Leverkusen.

Liverpool drew their first two games against German visitors at Anfield but have since won 14 of their 16 matches, a 0-0 draw with Bayern München in the most recent fixture, in the 2018/19 round of 16 first leg (3-1 aggregate) ending a run of six straight wins.

This is Liverpool's 16th Champions League campaign; they have reached the final five times, lifting the trophy in 2005 and 2019.

The Merseyside club last featured in 2022/23, finishing second in their section behind Napoli before losing to Real Madrid in the round of 16 (2-5 h, 0-1 a).

Liverpool have won 11 of their last 16 Champions League matches at Anfield (D2 L3).

Jürgen Klopp's team took part in the UEFA Europa League in 2023/24, finishing first in their section before overwhelming Sparta Praha in the round of 16 (5-1 a, 6-1 h) but coming up short against eventual winners Atalanta – who would beat Leverkusen in the final – in the last eight (0-3 h, 1-0 a).

Liverpool were third in last season's Premier League, Klopp's last season in charge after nine years at Anfield; Arne Slot came in from Feyenoord to replace the German.

Leverkusen

Record vs English clubs: W5 D6 L12 F 25 A43
Away record vs English clubs: W1 D3 L7

Leverkusen faced West Ham in last season's Europa League quarter-finals, progressing 3-1 on aggregate (2-0 h, 1-1 a).

That made it four games unbeaten against Premier League opponents (W2 D2), a 1-0 win at Tottenham in the 2016/17 Champions League group stage Leverkusen's only success in England.

Die Werkself won only one of their first 13 games against English clubs (D3 L9) but four of the subsequent ten (D3 L3).

Leverkusen are featuring in the Champions League proper for the 14th time – although only the third in eight seasons.

Their most recent campaign came in 2022/23, when they were third in their section behind Porto and Club Brugge, moving into the Europa League – where they went on to reach the semi-finals before losing 1-0 on aggregate against Roma.

Alonso's side went one step further in last season's Europa League, finishing first in their section with maximum points before battling past Qarabağ (5-4 on aggregate), West Ham and Roma (4-2 agg) to reach the final, where Atalanta's 3-0 victory denied Leverkusen the chance to add to their 1988 UEFA Cup triumph.

The 1-0 loss at Roma in the 2022/23 Europa League semi-final first leg is the German side's only defeat in 13 European away games (W8 D4).

Alonso guided Die Werkself to a first Bundesliga title last season and also oversaw victory in the German Cup final as Leverkusen claimed that trophy for only the second time.

Leverkusen have not reached the Champions League knockout rounds since 2016/17.

Links and trivia

Alonso was a Liverpool player from 2004 to 2009, scoring 19 goals in 210 appearances. He got the third goal in their dramatic victory against AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final (3-3 aet, 3-2 pens), and also appeared in their 2-1 final defeat against the same opponents two years later.

Have also played in England:
Nathan Tella (Arsenal youth 2007–17, Southampton 2017–23, Burnley 2022/23 loan)
Granit Xhaka (Arsenal 2016–23)
Matej Kovar (Manchester United 2018–22)
Aleix García (Manchester City 2015–17)
Jeremie Frimpong (Manchester City youth 2010–19)

International team-mates:
Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo & Jeremie Frimpong (Netherlands)
Alexis Mac Allister & Exequiel Palacios (Argentina)

Have played together:
Alisson Becker & Patrick Schick (Roma 2017/18)
Ibrahima Konaté & Nordi Mukiele (Leipzig 2018–21)
Ibrahima Konaté & Patrick Schick (Leipzig 2019/20)
Dominik Szoboszlai & Nordi Mukiele (Leipzig 2021/22)

Latest news

Liverpool

Liverpool have won eight of their ten Premier League games this season (D1 L1), giving Arne Slot the best top-flight start in club history.

On Saturday the Reds went top of the table by coming from behind to beat Brighton 2-1 at Anfield.

Mohamed Salah got the winner and has seven goals and five assists in this season's Premier League. His late equaliser in a 2-2 draw at Arsenal on 27 October and Saturday's strike took him on to 164 Premier League goals and into eighth place in the all-time list.

The Reds have 13 victories in 15 matches in all competitions in 2024/25.

Two goals from Cody Gakpo, who also scored against Brighton, helped Liverpool to a 3-2 win at Brighton in the League Cup last 16 on 30 October, Luis Díaz scoring a late winner.

Arne Slot's side will travel to Southampton in the quarter-finals.

Ibrahima Konaté was replaced at half-time on Saturday with a knock.

Diogo Jota has been out since being replaced in the first half of a 2-1 home win against Chelsea on 20 October with an abdominal problem.

Alisson Becker, who was out between 17 and 28 September with a thigh problem, was replaced late on in a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace on 5 October due to a hamstring injury and has not played since.

Harvey Elliott has been sidelined since 13 September with a fractured foot.

Federico Chiesa has been out with a knock and has not played since 25 September.

Leverkusen

Leverkusen's record in this season's Bundesliga is W4 D4 L1. They drew 2-2 at Werder Bremen on 26 October, conceding a last-minute equaliser, and were held 0-0 at home by Stuttgart on Friday.

On 29 October holders Leverkusen reached the last 16 of the German Cup with a 3-0 win against 2. Bundesliga side Elversberg. Patrik Schick scored twice and summer signing Aleix García got his first for the club.

Victor Boniface scored the first goal in Bremen and has seven in his last ten Leverkusen games.

Leverkusen have conceded 15 goals in their first nine league games; they let in 24 in 34 in 2023/24.

A 2-3 loss at home to Leipzig on 31 August, a game they had led 2-0, was Leverkusen's first league defeat since 27 May 2023 and ended a 35-match unbeaten Bundesliga run.

Jeanuël Belocian has missed the last three games due to an ankle injury that needed surgery.

Amine Adli has been out since Matchday 3 having fractured his fibula at Brest.