Liverpool faithful are gripped with fear as Bundesliga Champions, Bayer Leverkusen ahead of the Champions League duel in Anfield on Tuesday. One name keeps giving them nightmares as they fear that their perfect score so far may come to an end.

Liverpool fans are wary of what Super Eagles forward, Victor Boniface can do especially his exploit on away soil.

Liverpool have posted three wins out of three in the new version of the group stage of the tournament and are joint first on nine points with Aston Villa and aiming to be among the top eight teams that will qualify for the knockout stage after the Eight-round Swiss pairing.

Boniface who has been inactive since late last month following a car accident after a league match in Germany has now returned to action.

last Friday he played for 86 minutes in the goalless outing against VfB Stuttgart.

Bayer Leverkusen rely on him to deliver.  Liverpool are also wary. According to Liverpool FC site on Monday, they confessed on what the creative forward can do and the other strikers like Nathan Tella (another Nigerian), Jeremie Frimpong and Patrick Schick are part of the options coach Zabi Alonso can unleash at Anfield.

UCL FIXTURES

• PSV Vs Girona
• Bratislava Vs Dinao
• Bologna Vs Monaco
• Dortmund vs Graz
• Celtic vs Leipzig
• Lille Vs Juventus
• Liverpool Vs Leverkusen
• Madrid Vs Milan
• Sporting Man City

Liverpool must perform better with and without the ball when they face Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League at Anfield on Tuesday, head coach Arne Slot said after his side had to come from behind to win in the Premier League at the weekend.

Forward Mohamed Salah earned the Reds a 2-1 home victory against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday as they recovered to move top of the standings having conceded an early goal.

“Football is played in two moments, having the ball and not. And against strong teams, Leverkusen is one, you need to be good on both sides,” Slot told a press conference on Monday as his side prepared to face the German champions.

“We were poor on both sides, not as good with or without (the ball) on Saturday against Brighton, so we need a second-half performance because Leverkusen are at least equal to Brighton with the ball. So we need a much better performance than the first half.”

Alongside Aston Villa, Liverpool are the only other team with a perfect Champions League record this season after three games and are second to the Midlands side on goal difference.

On Tuesday, Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso will try to change that, with the former Spain midfielder returning to Anfield for the first time as a coach to take on his old side, who he helped win Europe’s elite club competition in 2005.

“It’s difficult to say what makes him a special manager if you don’t work with him but he is, that is clear,” Slot said.

“Bottom of the league when he took over, didn’t spend much, bought one or two players, had that (kind of) season – it’s special,” he added, with Leverkusen winning a domestic double last term having been unbeaten in the Bundesliga.

They only lost in the Europa League final to Atalanta.

“I haven’t faced him (Alonso) or worked with him but what might be the situation is he worked with incredible managers in the past and played at the highest levels. So he knows what players feel at certain moments.”

Alonso also helped Liverpool to the 2006-07 Champions League final, where they lost 2-1 to AC Milan.

Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher said: “I remember watching him, he was a class player when he was here, so I have good memories of him, his passing range was outrageous.

“I think the fans will give him a great reception but the focus is on getting a result and making sure he doesn’t go home happy.”

Liverpool can count on defender Ibrahima Konate, who returned to training after coming off at halftime against Brighton.

“He’s available to play, and I think also completely recovered, so there is no issue for him not to play because of what (happened),” Slot said.

“Then it’s up to me to make the decision if he plays or not. But he’s in a good place.”

-Reuters

Sporting manager Ruben Amorim has said his primary focus is Tuesday’s Champions League game at home to Manchester City after his agreement to join Manchester United on Nov. 11.

United on Friday named the Portuguese as head coach to replace Erik ten Hag on a contract running until 2027, with the Old Trafford club struggling in 13th spot in the Premier League.

As Amorim prepares for a new chapter in his career, the 39-year-old on Monday reflected on his time at Sporting.

“I’ve been through this a few times as a player; it’s hard to explain,” he told a press conference ahead of the City match.

“I’ll miss it in the future because I was very happy here. I know I’m going to a more complicated world, but we have to take steps forward.”

However, Amorim stressed that the Champions League clash against United’s local rivals was his main focus at present.

“Tomorrow I’ll be Sporting’s coach and only Sporting’s, from the 11th (November) onwards I’ll be United’s coach,” he said.

City are third in the 36-team table while Sporting are eighth but both sides have seven points from three games.

Amorim acknowledged the hype around the match as many United fans view it in relation to City’s rivalry with their team.

“They are different contexts; I’m not thinking about that. For me, it’s just another game against a team from the best league in the world,” said Amorim.

Emphasising the challenges ahead at Old Trafford, he noted that language issues will play a part at the start.

“My communication at the beginning will be simpler because it is in English. The players will not be offended if I say that they are more basic. I give training sessions here in English,” added Amorim.

“I will take inspiration from everywhere, but there’s always room for new ideas.”

-Reuters