Champions League

Conference with Real, City and Liverpool from 9pm

Real superstar Kylian Mbappe

(Bild: AFP/APA/JAVIER SORIANO)

Matchday 4 in the Champions League: Real Madrid, Manchester City and Liverpool FC are among those playing at 9pm. With sportkrone.at you can follow the action up close (ticker below).

Here is the live ticker:

Explosive return
A very special game awaits Xabi Alonso today in the Champions League. The Bayer Leverkusen coach returns with the Werkself to his former place of work as a player in Liverpool. "Playing Champions League football at Anfield - it's hard to be better," said the 42-year-old. From a sporting point of view, the task could hardly be more difficult, as the Reds are the only team apart from Aston Villa without a point in the top flight.

Xabi Alonso

(Bild: APA/AFP/Glyn KIRK)

"One of the best teams in Europe right now"
Liverpool are also in strong form nationally under coach Arne Slot, leading the table with 25 points after eight wins, one draw and one defeat. The most recent success on Saturday with a 2:1 win against Brighton and Hove Albion was hard work, but was nevertheless successful. "They're one of the best teams in Europe right now," said Alonso. His team have drawn four games and lost one on their way to defending their title in the league. However, Bayer are also doing very well in the CL with seven points from three games and can overtake the English side with an away win.

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah

(Bild: AFP/APA/HENRY NICHOLLS)

Between 2004 and 2009, Alonso was often in charge of Liverpool's midfield. This included the 2005 Champions League final, in which the Basque player and the Reds came from 3-0 down to beat Italian top club AC Milan and scored an important goal himself. Alonso will also remember the early fall of 2006, when he scored the most spectacular goal of his not exactly prolific career against Newcastle from more than 50 meters.

Leverkusen instead of Liverpool
So there is more than enough material for the images that will probably flash before Alonso's mind on his return to England. He could even have come back sooner, because if media reports are to be believed, he was at the top of Liverpool's coaching list in the summer. At the time, LFC were looking for a successor to Jürgen Klopp and Alonso was an obvious choice. The Spaniard led Leverkusen to the first league title in the club's history and also has a great past as a player at the club. In the end, however, he decided to stay with the Werkself.

"It's Champions League, Liverpool in the evening - first of all we have to enjoy it," said Leverkusen midfield boss Granit Xhaka, who played for Liverpool several times during his time at Arsenal. For almost every player in the Leverkusen squad, hearing the Reds supporters sing "You'll never walk alone" in a sold-out stadium will be something special in itself. Hot on Liverpool's heels in both the league and the CL is Manchester City. The squad led by star striker Erling Haaland will visit Sturm Graz conquerors Sporting Lisbon in a clash between two unbeaten teams.

Manchester City Erling Haaland

(Bild: AP)

Posch against Hütter
Monaco lurk in fourth place with the same number of points and face Bologna. For coach Adi Hütter's squad, the aim is to halt a negative trend of two consecutive league defeats. On the other side, defender Stefan Posch wants to ensure that the Italians remain on the road to success after two wins in Serie A. Posch only played a few minutes in the last two games, however. Bologna have just one point in the "premier class".

Monaco coach Adi Hütter

(Bild: AFP/APA/Damir SENCAR)

Real challenged against Milan
Real Madrid are aiming for win number three at home against Milan without Austrian star David Alaba. Nicolas Seiwald could make his comeback in the kit of the Germans, who can also count on Christoph Baumgartner, for RB Leipzig's visit to Celtic Glasgow.