Xabi Alonso returns to Anfield for the third time as a manager, and for the first time in charge of Chelsea, when the Blues take on Liverpool in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday night.
Chelsea have beaten Luton Town and Leeds United to reach this stage, while Andoni Iraola’s side defeated Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 and will be aiming to book a place in the quarter-finals.
Chelsea have been inconsistent under Alonso, with Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham highlighting their struggles. Roberto De Zerbi’s side outplayed the 2025 Club World Cup winners to secure their first victory at Stamford Bridge since 2018.
Cole Palmer is suspended following his sending-off against Spurs, while Reece James (knee) and Emiliano Martinez (broken jaw) are also sidelined.
Joao Pedro, Pep Chavarria, Emmanuel Emegha and Jamie Gittens will be assessed ahead of the trip to Anfield. Summer signing Emegha could make his Chelsea debut as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.
“Emegha is in the squad,” said Xabi Alonso. “For sure it’s important that we have him available because he has special qualities.
“He needs to feel fully fit, he has been training for the last couple of weeks, 10 days, in a good way that has allowed him to build a strong base for his fitness. Now, gradually we want to see him. Maybe tomorrow he has the chance to play.”
On adapting his attacking set-up in the absence of the likes of Palmer and Pedro, Alonso added: “There are the strikers but there are other players that can play in that position.
“We need to find the right balance between the things that they are good at and how they connect with the other ones. We tried with Morgan [Rogers] playing close to Cole. We will have to sometimes be creative and sometimes to try a few things to see if this is going to work well.”
Chelsea have the individual talent to pose a threat, but Liverpool’s recent comebacks suggest the hosts are better equipped to win if the game becomes chaotic.
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