"It feels good to be back here but I don't want it to be about me, it's about the match tomorrow and the players," stressed Xabi Alonso at the start of the press conference. "I've not thought about it that much in the run-up. My thoughts have been more on optimum preparation for the game."
Granit Xhaka also spoke about his experiences at Anfield: "I've got good and not so good memories here. Of course, I've told my team-mates about them. Tomorrow is a big challenge but also a big chance for us. We have a clear plan and want to assert our game."
Continuing to focus on the match, Alonso added: "We can expect a great game at this special place. They're in very good form at the moment – both in the Premier League and in the Champions League. They play a very high speed and intensity and have several options in the squad. They're one of the best teams in Europe."
Xhaka reserved particular praise for Liverpool star Mohamed Salah: "He brings a lot of quality. He's had an incredible career and continued to improve. He's become a big legend here, in my opinion. You certainly have to double-up on him because he's always dangerous - particularly on his left foot, but he also makes a lot of assists and is physically strong."
Nevertheless, the coach does not intend to change his team's own style of play. "We're well prepared," said Alonso. "We have our principles - both sporting and mental. Of course, you always change things here and there, it's a fluid process. But we produced our best performance so far against Stuttgart last time out, and that's how we want to perform again."
Alonso is without Nordi Mukiele (muscle strain) for the clash with the Premier League leaders. His players will therefore "have to stand tight together as a team, so that everyone helps". Martin Terrier will also not be involved. The forward did join in with training on Monday morning but has stayed in Leverkusen as he doesn't yet feel "his best", confirmed the Spaniard.
Leverkusen will be supported by 3,200 fans at Anfield on Tuesday night.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have secured a new premium partner in the form of DRIVIO. DRIVIO, already part of the club’s partner portfolio as a reliable car subscription partner for Bayer 04, will continue to support the club in this capacity and, with immediate effect, also join the premium group of companies that cooperate closely with the Werkself. The premium and car subscription partnership between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and DRIVIO will initially run until 30 June 2027.
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Following last weekend’s big game against Wolfsburg, Bayer 04 Women face another exciting challenge as they visit Hoffenheim to kick off Matchday 3 in the Google Pixel Bundesliga on Friday (kick-off: 18:30 CEST).
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Under the slogan ‘Holidays without War’, 60 children from war-torn Ukraine took part in the summer camp organised by the German-Ukrainian association Blau-Gelbes Kreuz in Leverkusen and the surrounding area in August. The children aged between 10 and 14 – many of whom have lost their parents in the war – come from the Ukrainian twin towns of Leverkusen, Cologne and Monheim am Rhein: Nikopol, Dnipro and Volodymyr. Bayer 04, Bayer AG and TSV Bayer 04 supported the camp to mark its 10th anniversary, enabling even more children and young people than in previous years to spend a few carefree days’ holiday away from the war in the Rhineland.
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Midfielder Ruby Grant is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and joining Portuguese runners-up Sporting CP a year before her contract expires. The 24-year-old has been at the Werkself since January 2025.
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New to Leverkusen and straight up onto the roof at the BayArena: Guéla Doué has arrived. In an interview with Werkself TV, the new right-back talks about his previous links with Bayer 04 and how much he’s looking forward to his first home match. Have a look!
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