Bayer Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso has been dealt an untimely injury setback ahead of Tuesday's Champions League showdown with Liverpool at Anfield.
The Bundesliga champions settled for a goalless draw against Stuttgart in the Bundesliga on Saturday, and they lost Nordi Mukiele to a thigh injury at the start of the second half.
The Frenchman is not expected to make a full recovery until after the November international break, and he joins Amine Adli (broken leg) and Jeanuel Belocian (foot) on the sidelines for now.
Despite initial hope that Martin Terrier would be back from a knock in time for Tuesday, Alonso confirmed in his pre-game press conference that the Frenchman had not travelled and would therefore miss out.
Jeremie Frimpong started alongside Victor Boniface and Florian Wirtz in attack against Stuttgart, but the Dutchman will surely revert to wing-back duties in place of Mukiele, allowing Jonas Hofmann to come into the attack.
Granit Xhaka returns to a ground where he suffered many embarrassments in his Arsenal days, but Robert Andrich could drop out for Aleix Garcia, who has made more line-breaking passes into the final third than any other midfielder in the 2024-25 Champions League.
A reported transfer target for Liverpool, Piero Hincapie starts in a familiar defensive setup with Jonathan Tah and Edmond Tapsoba in front of Lukas Hradecky.
Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:
Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Garcia, Grimaldo; Hofmann, Wirtz; Boniface
> Click here to see how Liverpool could line up for this match
Ben Knapton
