Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso will return to Anfield on Wednesday for the third time as a manager, hoping to secure his first victory at the stadium when the Blues face Liverpool in the fourth round of the EFL Cup.
The Spanish coach will make his first visit to Anfield as Chelsea manager, with his team looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Chelsea have struggled to find consistency under Alonso. But the defeat against Spurs was a new low for the Blues, given their phenomenal home record against their London rivals.
Alonso was outwitted by Roberto De Zerbi, whose Tottenham side dominated the contest and earned their first win at the Bridge since 2018.
The defeat came just a week after Chelsea recorded an important away win against Everton, so Alonso now has to lift his players ahead of another difficult fixture.
Wednesday’s trip to Liverpool is another chance for the Chelsea manager to improve his record at Anfield, having failed to win any of his previous two visits to the stadium.
He suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat there while at Bayer Leverkusen before losing 1-0 with Real Madrid.
The Chelsea boss will hope his third attempt brings a different outcome as the Blues look to progress in a competition they haven’t won in over a decade.
How Chelsea could line up
Alonso is poised to ring the changes despite facing a high-profile fixture at Anfield.
Mike Penders should get another chance to stake his claim as Chelsea’s future number one shotstopper after his moment of madness in the London derby.
Malo Gusto could return to the XI for the first time since early September.
The ‘fantastic’ defender will likely be joined by Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill, while Marco Palestra makes his full debut.
Romeo Lavia and Valentin Barco will likely anchor the midfield, with Geovany Quenda, Morgan Rogers, and Estevao lining up behind Danny Welbeck.
(4-2-3-1): Penders; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Palestra; Lavia, Barco; Estevao, Rogers, Quenda; Welbeck.