Every Liverpool Game Against German Opposition in the Modern Champions League

The link between Liverpool and the Bundesliga has only increased since the arrival of Jürgen Klopp in 2015, but the Reds' history with German clubs dates well beyond the introduction of heavy metal football at Anfield.

The Reds beat Borussia Mönchengladbach over two legs to clinch the UEFA Cup back in 1973, while Bayern Munich were bested in the semi finals en route to the European Cup win in 1981. In the modern Champions League, Liverpool have faced up against German opposition eight times across the qualifying rounds, group stages and knockouts.

Ahead of their last 16 match against Bayern Munich - who they haven't played competitively since the UEFA Super Cup final in 2001 - on Tuesday, here's a closer look at the eight times Liverpool have faced German opposition in Europe's elite competition.

Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Liverpool

19/09/2001

The Champions League group stages during the 2001/02 season were far from plain sailing for Liverpool, especially as the were joined by Ukranian giants Dynamo Kyiv, surprise Portuguese champions Boavista and Borussia Dortmund.

On matchday two, Liverpool travelled to Germany knowing that they needed to win to bounce back after being held to a 1-1 draw by Boavista at Anfield a week earlier.

But it finished goalless in Germany, meaning that the Portuguese side were able to take an early lead in Group B thanks to their win at home to Dynamo Kyiv.

Liverpool 2-0 Borussia Dortmund

30/10/2001

The return fixture on the eve of Halloween was much more straight forward for Gérard Houllier's side, as Vladimir Smicer settled any early nerves by putting them into the lead inside the opening 15 minutes of the match.

Liverpool knew that if they held onto the win they would finish at the top of the group regardless of Boavista's result in Ukraine - they lost, unbeknownst to Houllier's men at the time - but the Reds didn't look to shut the game out.

Instead, defender Stephen Wright found himself in the perfect position to head Patrik Berger's cross into the back of the net, ensuring the Liverpool topped Group B while Borussia Dortmund finished behind Boavista on goal difference.

Liverpool 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen

03/04/2002

The first time that Liverpool were drawn up against German giants Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League knockout stages - or indeed across any competition - they were coming up against a team who had finished in the top three of the Bundesliga in four of the last five seasons.

Sami Hyypiä capitalised on a mistake from an otherwise impenetrable defence on the stroke of half time and it was a strike that proved to be the only goal of the game.

It was a major boost for Gérard Houllier's side, as there were few teams in Europe at the time who fans would pick over Liverpool to defend a one-goal lead.

Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 Liverpool (Agg. 4-3)

09/04/2002

Liverpool's reputation wasn't harmed too much by the time the half time whistle blew in the second leg at the BayArena. Michael Ballack did score the opening goal of the game with a thunderous long-range effort, but Abel Xavier gave Bayer Leverkusen a mountain to climb when he found the back of the net just before the break.

What came next for Liverpool, however, was a calamitous second half which ended their Champions League dream at the quarter-final stage, while Leverkusen would go all the way to the final at Hampden Park.

Ballack scored his second of the game to put Die Werkself back in the driving seat, while half-time substitute Dimitar Berbatov showed his goal poaching prowess to instinctively score a rebound just a few minutes later.

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The yoyoing didn't stop there either. Jari Litmanen put Liverpool back in command when he fired the ball underneath Hans Jörg Butt, but defender Lúcio had the last laugh.

The Brazilian, who was in his first season in Europe, peeled away from the Liverpool defence and fired the ball in between Jerzy Dudek's legs to book Leverkusen's place in the semi-finals of the Champions League ahead of Liverpool by the narrowest of margins.

Liverpool 3-1 Bayer Leverkusen

22/02/2005

The draw for the Last 16 was kind to Liverpool in 2005. They'd missed out on being put up against Inter, Olympique Lyonnais, Juventus and Milan, instead being picked out of the hat alongside Bayer Leverkusen, who themselves had only finished ahead of Real Madrid on goal difference.

It looked like it was going to be a slam dunk for Rafa Benitez's side and by the time the half time whistle belw in the first leg at Anfield, Liverpool already had one foot in the next round thanks to goals from Luis García and John Arne Riise.

Dietmar Hamann added a third goal in added time but there was still just enough left on the clock for substitute França to pull one back, grabbing what could've been a vital away goal for Bayer Leverkusen.

Bayer Leverkusen 1-3 Liverpool (Agg. 6-2)

09/03/2005

As it turned out, França's late strike at Anfield would prove to be nothing more than a small moment of joy in Leverkusen's dismal run in the two-legged match.

Luis García once again found himself on the scoresheet in the first half, but this time the Spaniard notched twice before the break to all but confirm Liverpool's place in the quarter finals.

Milan Baros ensured the win midway through the second half, but once again Klaus Augenthaler's side were able to stop Liverpool from keeping a clean sheet thanks to a late strike from midfielder Jacek Krzynowek.

TSG Hoffenheim 1-2 Liverpool

15/08/2017

Liverpool's most recent encounter with a German team came in the Champions League qualifying rounds last season, where the Reds had to get past TSG Hoffenheim and managerial wonderkid Julian Nagelsmann to book their place in the group stages.

Jürgen Klopp's side got off to the worst possible start when Dejan Lovren conceded a penalty for a foul on former Arsenal star Serge Gnabry, but Andrej Kramarić's tame effort was easily kept out by Simon Mignolet.

The deadlock was finally broken thanks to Trent Alexander-Arnold, who fired a pinpoint free kick past Oliver Baumann to score his first senior goal for the club and give the visitors a vital lead in Germany.

Havard Nordtveit's own goal compiled Hoffenheim's misery, but substitute Mark Uth halved the arrears with a trademark left-footed strike across the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner of the goal.

Liverpool 4-2 TSG Hoffenheim (Agg. 6-3)

23/08/2017

Liverpool's European future was on a knife edge coming into the second leg against TSG Hoffenheim, but any doubts over their progress were wiped away within the opening 20 minutes.

Emre Can's deflected effort settled any early nerves while quickfire goals from Mohamed Salah and Can once again put the outcome of the match beyond any doubt.

Mark Uth found himself on the scoresheet again for Hoffenheim but Roberto Firmino found the back of the net against his former side to round off a commanding performance from Liverpool, leaving Sandro Wagner's late header as nothing more than a consolation goal.

Source : 90min