'Bayer Leverkusen faces a beautiful challenge as Xabi Alonso returns to Anfield'

LIVERPOOL - Xabi Alonso will make his highly-anticipated return to Anfield on Nov 5 with Bayer Leverkusen, as they face off against Liverpool in a thrilling Champions League match. Alonso, a key player in the Reds' iconic 2005 Champions League triumph, will no doubt be looking to leave a mark on his former team's home turf once again.

He played 210 games for Liverpool between 2004 and 2009, with the highlight undoubtedly being the miracle comeback in their Champions League final victory over AC Milan in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Spaniard scored Liverpool’s third goal in seven minutes to bring them level to 3-3 before they went on to win on penalties.

Alonso, 42, remains hugely popular with Liverpool fans and could have been in the home dugout had things gone differently. Last season, after Jurgen Klopp’s shock decision to leave the club, Liverpool fans – who had taken notice of Alonso’s incredible run at Leverkusen – were hoping he could be headed to Merseyside.

Alonso, though, knocked back the reported interest from Liverpool, as well as from former sides Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, to stay at Leverkusen.

He still speaks fondly of his time as a player on Merseyside and said he was eagerly awaiting his return.

“Champions League at Anfield? It doesn’t get much better than that. This game means a lot to me. It will be a big game,” he said.

“To play in the Champions League, at Anfield, it’s difficult to experience anything better. The atmosphere is great. Liverpool is one of the best teams in Europe at the moment. It’s a huge challenge, but a beautiful challenge for us.”

Regret at missing out on Alonso is likely to have subsided among the fans, given their impressive start under Dutchman Arne Slot.

With 13 wins and a draw from 15 matches – officially the best start of any new Reds manager – Slot has Liverpool sitting top of the English Premier League table. In Europe, Liverpool are alongside Aston Villa as one of only two sides to have won three from three.

In his first full season as a top-flight coach, Alonso took Leverkusen to an unbeaten league and cup double – the first in German football history – as well as a Europa League final. The loss in that final, a 3-0 defeat by Atalanta in Dublin, Ireland, was their only defeat in 53 games last season.

But Leverkusen have struggled to recreate last term’s heroics.

In the Bundesliga, they have already dropped 11 points in nine games, having dropped just 12 in a 34-game season last term. Their woes have been mainly in defence, having already conceded 15 goals compared to 24 last campaign.

Things have been better in the Champions League, where Alonso’s side have won two, including over AC Milan, and drawn one of their three games.

However, their next challenge is formidable, with Egypt forward Mohamed Salah in sizzling form. The 32-year-old’s ninth goal this season underlined his huge value to the Reds, though his long-term future remains uncertain as his contract expires at the end of this season.

His latest message on X has Liverpool fans wondering if Salah is hinting at an exit.

“Thank you for your support last night. No matter what happens, I will never forget what scoring at Anfield feels like,” he wrote on X, after his winner against Brighton in the Premier League on Nov 2.

In more positive news, Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konate said the arm injury he suffered against Brighton is not as bad as initially feared and that he will be ready for the next game.

This will come as a boost to Slot, who was without first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker, right-back Conor Bradley, midfielder Harvey Elliott and forwards Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa at the weekend.

In Spain, Real coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Nov 4 he did not have the heart to talk about football ahead of their Champions League clash against Milan. Their La Liga match against Valencia on Nov 2 was postponed because of the flood situation in Valencia, where at least 217 people have died and many more are missing.

European champions Real face Ancelotti’s former team Milan on Nov 5, with whom he won the competition twice, in 1989 and 1990.

“I hope (the situation) can be resolved quickly, and I hope you can understand that talking about football is very hard,” Ancelotti told a news conference. “We are part of this country and all this affects us.” AFP