By Sohaib Shams
Liverpool face Chelsea at Anfield in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday evening, with former Reds midfielder Xabi Alonso returning as Chelsea manager. The match pits Alonso's side against a Liverpool team under new manager Andoni Iraola that has won four consecutive matches across all competitions.
Team news and key subplots
Chelsea are without João Pedro due to injury and Cole Palmer through suspension. Liverpool's lineup features Giorgi Mamardashvili in goal, with Ronald Araújo, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk and Kostas Tsimikas in defence. The midfield includes James McConnell, Ryan Gravenberch and Trey Nyoni, while Cody Gakpo, Lewis Koumas and Rio Ngumoha lead the attack.
Chelsea field a back four of Malo Gusto, Maxence Lacroix, Wesley Fofana and Josh Acheampong ahead of goalkeeper Lucas Penders. Moisés Caicedo and Roméo Lavia — both Liverpool targets in 2023 — anchor midfield alongside Jordan Henderson, who makes his own Anfield return after leaving for Al-Ettifaq three years ago. Pedro Neto, Danny Welbeck and Morgan Rogers form the forward line.
Early action
The match began at 20:00 GMT with Liverpool applying early pressure. After 18 minutes the score remains 0-0. Tsimikas won the first corner for the hosts, but a challenge in the box saw Gusto go down and Chelsea awarded a free-kick. Earlier, Mamardashvili smothered a Neto cross intended for Welbeck, while Koumas earned a yellow card for a robust tackle on Lacroix.
