Xabi Alonso is in the .

Earlier this year, it seemed as though Alonso might be returning to Anfield in a permanent capacity after he emerged as the early favorite to replace , but the Spaniard ended up ruling himself out of the running to become the new Reds boss, opting to remain with Leverkusen.

ultimately plumped for and the Dutchman could barely have asked for a better start to life with his new club, with the Reds having won 13 of their first 15 games in all competitions, only failing to win against Nottingham Forest and Arsenal.

Alonso was on Monday, saying: "Liverpool at the moment is one of the best if not the best in Europe, they are showing that in a very strong Premier League and the Champions League. It’s a good squad, good coach. At Anfield, it’s a big challenge.”

Leverkusen, meanwhile, has also lost just one game all season, but goes into the game off the back of a series of draws. The Bundesliga champion has drawn five of its last eight games in all competitions, including four of its last five in the Bundesliga.

Alonso's men have started the Champions League season in impressive form and currently sit sixth in the new 36-team league, four places behind Liverpool, which is one of only two teams that has a 100 per cent record after three matches, along with Aston Villa.

In terms of the way we should expect Leverkusen to line up at Anfield, it is clear that Xabi Alonso favors lining up with three defenders at the back, and they should be Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah and Piero Hincapie.

Jeremie Frimpong and Alex Grimaldo should line up in the wing-back positions, with Alex Garcia and Granit Xhaka in the center of midfield, while Martin Terrier and Florian Wirtz should supplement Victor Boniface in attack.

Predicted Bayer Leverkusen line-up vs Liverpool: Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Garcia, Grimaldo; Terrier, Wirtz; Boniface.