Venue: Anfield
Local Kick-off Time: Oct 28, 2026 8.00pm
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Liverpool
Form & Tactical Outlook:
Andoni Iraola's side have suffered just one defeat across all competitions this season—a 3-0 loss against Manchester City at the start of the month following Ryan Gravenberch's red card for two bookable offences. Since that defeat, the Reds have won four consecutive matches in all competitions, including a 4-3 Champions League comeback victory over Villarreal from 2-0 down, a comeback win over nine-man Brentford, a 6-3 victory over LASK Linz, and Sunday's 2-0 win over Brighton, which marked their first clean sheet in five matches. Liverpool reached the fourth round of the EFL Cup by beating Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 in the previous round, and they face defending Premier League champions Arsenal this coming Super Sunday.
Team News:
Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, Bradley Barcola, and Alexander Isak could be rested ahead of Sunday's clash with Arsenal. Cody Gakpo and teenager Rio Ngumoha (who registered two assists against Villarreal last week) are likely to play significant roles in attack, while James McConnell and Lewis Koumas could start. On the injury list, Florian Wirtz (apparent foot injury against Brighton), Dominik Szoboszlai (muscle), and Victor Munoz (knee) are doubtful. Conor Bradley (knee), Hugo Ekitike (Achilles), Jeremie Frimpong (muscle), and Giovanni Leoni (knee) are all unavailable.
Chelsea
Form & Tactical Outlook:
Chelsea enter the fourth round of the EFL Cup having eliminated Luton Town and Leeds United in previous rounds. In their most recent fixture, the 2025 Club World Cup winners fell to a 2-0 home defeat against Roberto De Zerbi's Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, marking Spurs' first victory at Stamford Bridge since 2018. Head coach Xabi Alonso has previously suffered 4-0 and 1-0 defeats at Anfield when managing Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid. Following Wednesday's cup tie, Chelsea will host Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime.
Team News:
Attacking midfielder Cole Palmer is suspended following his red card against Tottenham at the weekend. Reece James (knee) and Emiliano Martinez (broken jaw) are sidelined through injury, while Joao Pedro, Pep Chavarria, Emmanuel Emegha, and Jamie Gittens face late fitness assessments. Estevao Willian is expected to feature heavily in attack. Alonso could deploy a back four or a back five; a back four could see Jordan Henderson start in a three-man midfield at Anfield unless Valentin Barco, Moises Caicedo, and Romeo Lavia are chosen. Danny Welbeck (five goals in 28 appearances against Liverpool) could start, and Morgan Rogers may also feature despite completing 90 minutes against Spurs.
