An update on Florian Wirtz as the Liverpool squad arrives at its hotel ahead of the Carabao Cup clash with Chelsea
Florian Wirtz of Liverpool during the pre-season friendly match Liverpool vs Monaco at Anfield, Liverpool, United Kingdom on 09 August 2026 (Photo by Jorge Horsted/News Images)
Florian Wirtz of Liverpool during the pre-season friendly match Liverpool vs Monaco at Anfield, Liverpool, United Kingdom on 09 August 2026 (Photo by Jorge Horsted/News Images)
Liverpool host Chelsea at Anfield tonight in the Carabao Cup fourth round, with a place in the quarter-finals up for grabs.
Andoni Iraola is expected to make further changes to his starting XI as Liverpool continue to navigate a busy fixture schedule. The manager has made his stance on rotation clear, saying: “Every top team that plays every three days needs to rotate.”
Florian Wirtz has been one of the main talking points ahead of the encounter after twisting his ankle during Sunday’s 2-0 Premier League victory over Brighton. The midfielder was replaced by Trey Nyoni after 65 minutes, raising questions about his availability for the cup tie.
However, fresh footage from Merseyside has offered some encouragement.
Journalist Keefe Irwin shared a video of the Liverpool squad arriving at their team hotel ahead of the match, with Wirtz among the players pictured.
His presence with the group does not confirm that he will feature in the matchday squad or start against Chelsea. Nevertheless, Iraola had already expressed optimism about the German’s chances of being available.
“I’m quite optimistic that he will be available,” the Liverpool manager said, while identifying Dominik Szoboszlai and Victor Munoz as bigger doubts.
Liverpool remain without Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong and Giovanni Leoni, while Hugo Ekitike is also a long-term absentee.
Wirtz has enjoyed an eventful week. He scored his first goal of the season in Liverpool’s 4-3 Champions League victory over Villarreal on Tuesday before featuring against Brighton, where his deflected effort was credited as an own goal by Pascal Gross.
The win over Brighton extended Liverpool’s winning run to four matches in all competitions and secured their first Premier League home victory since April.
Chelsea, meanwhile, arrive at Anfield looking to respond to a disappointing result of their own. They suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham on Saturday, with Xabi Alonso now returning to face his former club.
The visitors will be without Cole Palmer, who serves a one-match suspension following his red card against Tottenham. Joao Pedro is also expected to miss the match after being sidelined for several weeks.
Both sides reached the fourth round by beating top-flight opposition. Liverpool eliminated Tottenham in the previous round, while Chelsea progressed after victories over Luton Town and Leeds United.
Liverpool’s demanding schedule will continue after Wednesday’s encounter. They host Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday before travelling to face Fenerbahce in the Champions League on 4 November.
#LFC arrive at team hotel ahead of Chelsea game. 🔴 https://t.co/z7c63z4pbh
— Keefe Irwin (@KeefeIrwinSport) October 28, 2026
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