Slot’s Liverpool Look Forward to “Big European Tie” Against Leverkusen
Former Red Xabi Alonso is in charge as Bayer Leverkusen visit Anfield on Tuesday night in Champions League action.
Liverpool enter the fourth matchweek of the new-look Champions League league phase as one of just two perfect clubs with three wins to show for their games against AC Milan, Bologna, and Leipzig. Tuesday’s test, though, certainly won’t be any easier than those matches that came before.
With defending Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen coming to Anfield with former Red Xabi Alonso in charge, it might be the headlining match of the week in Europe and taking all three points will require Arne Slot’s Liverpool to be at their absolute best from the game’s opening kickoff.
“It’s a big European tie, which is almost always the situation if you play in the Champions League,” Slot noted. “You might face one or two teams not as known, but definitely because of what Xabi Alonso did for this club and how strong Leverkusen were domestically and in Europe last season.
“They were incredible, of course. This season they are the same—but maybe a bit unlucky when it comes to results. But I think it is a game to look forward to for people who love the game [and] we need a much better performance than the first half [against Brighton] and a performance like the second.”
Along with subsequent Champions League opponents Real Madrid, who visit Anfield after the November internationals, Leverkusen on paper represent the Reds’ toughest European test under Sot—and league games against Aston Villa, Southampton, and Manchester City surround the matches.
It’s a run that stands amongst the most difficult possible for a Premier League side, and if there are any lingering doubts about just how good this group can be and what it can aspire to this season under their new manager, they should be answered fairly conclusively over the next four weeks.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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