Chelsea v Leeds: EFL Cup prediction, lineups and Xabi Alonso team news

Chelsea's EFL Cup campaign resumes at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night, with Xabi Alonso looking to shake off Sunday's defeat to Arsenal by seeing off Leeds in the competition's round of 32. It is a tie with history attached given the sides met in an FA Cup semi-final last season, and Alonso is already dealing with a lengthy absentee list before a ball is kicked.

Chelsea reached this stage with a comfortable 2-0 win over Luton Town at Stamford Bridge on 27 August, a result that remains their biggest win of the season so far. It came in front of the season's lowest home attendance, 32,210, a reminder that fans still treat this competition as a lower priority than the league.

Leeds have made an unbeaten start to the season and have carried that form into the cup, though the specifics of their earlier round win are not detailed here. D. Farke's side go into the tie full of confidence after picking up results in the Premier League as well.

Alonso has been forced into changes by injury rather than choice, and reports suggest a switch from his usual back three to a back four is likely for this game. Farke has confirmed there will be rotation of his own at Leeds, saying he wants to "integrate new players" into the squad. Goalkeeper Michael Zetterer could make his Leeds debut, with James Trafford the alternative as he continues "finding his rhythm" at the club.

Alonso is taking a cautious line on his walking wounded rather than rushing anyone back. Asked about Moises Caicedo and Marco Palestra, he said: "They're still not ready to go. It's not the moment to take too early a risk. We'll go game by game with them, but it's too early."

On Levi Colwill, there was better news. Alonso confirmed: "He's okay for tomorrow."

Farke, meanwhile, is managing his own fitness concern over Daniel James, who picked up a back issue in the warm-up before the Brighton game. "The scan results were good," Farke said. "We have two more sessions, if he comes through those then he is hopefully available. Carefully optimistic."

The tie kicks off at 20:00 BST on Wednesday 9 September at Stamford Bridge. Selected EFL Cup fixtures this season are shown on Sky Sports where selected. If the scores are level after 90 minutes, the match goes straight to a penalty shoot-out, as is the format for this stage of the EFL Cup.