Liverpool host their rivals Chelsea in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, October 28 (8pm UK time). The game is the free-to-air game in the UK, being shown live on ITV1 and ITVX. Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Ultra HDR will also be showing the game. Sky will be starting the broadcast from 7pm.
Viewers in Scotland will be able to watch on STV and the STV Player. Sky subscribers can also watch on Sky Go. Non-subscribers can stream it via NOW with a Sports membership. Due to it being free on ITV, you won’t need one. Chelsea will enter Anfield after a damaging 2-0 loss to Tottenham at home on Saturday. Cole Palmer will miss the game due to suspension after receiving a second yellow card in the 80th minute of the derby.
Joao Pedro is expected to miss the game as the club await test results on his knee. The Brazilian was unable to play against Spurs after feeling something in training, and Xabi Alonso revealed there was extra fluid around the joint. Mike Penders will start in goal. The 21-year-old Belgian is filling in for Emi Martinez, who is recovering from surgery on a broken jaw.
Liverpool have won their last four games after a 2-0 victory over Brighton on Sunday. However, Florian Wirtz is a doubt with an ankle injury. Dominik Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong are both out with hamstring injuries. Both teams will likely make changes as they have league games shortly after. Chelsea face Manchester United on Saturday at 12:30pm and Liverpool host Arsenal on Sunday, November 1.
Xabi Alonso: Penders Will Be in Goal Against Liverpool
Penders had a humiliating evening as he scored an own goal from a corner in the 77th minute of his first-ever Premier League start. However, he had made some great saves in the build-up to that point. Speaking to the club’s official site, Alonso said:
“It’s part of the business; you need to deal with mistakes and we keep confidence in Mike and he will be in goal against Liverpool.”
He added:
“We win and we lose together and it’s part of the job to deal with mistakes, myself as well as everyone. We support Mike and Geo (Quenda) as well, the guys starting their first [Premier League] games. He will want to prove he can do better, and we also have to show that.”
Maxence Lacroix also publicly supported his teammate, stating that Penders has a lot of talent and will learn from this. Anfield is a tough place to play, and Liverpool are in great form up front. If Penders plays calmly, it will boost his confidence before Martinez returns, estimated for mid-November.