Liverpool v Chelsea: EFL Cup preview, predicted line-ups & team news
Liverpool host Chelsea at Anfield in the EFL Cup round of 16. Both managers are expected to rotate, and Chelsea are without the suspended Cole Palmer.
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Round of 16 stakes at Anfield
Liverpool and Chelsea meet at Anfield on Wednesday 28 October with a place in the EFL Cup quarter-finals at stake. The tie is a single match, so there is no second leg to recover in. Liverpool's head coach Andoni Iraola has said there will definitely be changes to his starting XI. That makes the depth of each squad as relevant as the first-choice sides. The bookmaker price reflects a tight contest: bet365 make Liverpool 5/4 for the 90 minutes, the draw 11/4 and Chelsea 9/5. The two clubs have met 10 times in the supplied head-to-head record, with five draws, three Liverpool wins and two Chelsea wins, so a level score after 90 minutes is a live possibility.
Liverpool
ChelseaHow both sides reached the last 16
Liverpool have played once in the competition this season, beating Tottenham 3-1 at home on 15 September. The season data shows they averaged 12 shots per game in that tie, with 5 on target and 55% possession. They did concede 9 corners, however, against 5 won, which suggests Tottenham had spells of territorial pressure.
an average of 4.0 per game, from 21 shots per game and an average expected-goals figure of 3.19. They have also conceded 3, so their defensive record is less convincing than the attack. Daniel Welbeck is their joint-highest cup scorer on the supplied list, with 3 goals from 2 appearances. Chelsea arrive after a 2-0 Premier League defeat to Tottenham.
Rotation expected on both sides
Liverpool's rotation is partly forced by the calendar. Iraola made six changes for the Champions League win over Villarreal, then four for the Premier League win over Brighton on Sunday. He has said a squad playing every three days needs to rotate, and that some changes are forced by availability. Chelsea face a similar balance. The cup is their first chance of domestic silverware this season, which argues for a strong side. However, so Alonso is likely to pick from a wider group than he might wish. Chelsea's 4-2-3-1 and 3-4-2-1 shapes have both appeared in the competition this season.
Line-ups
Liverpool4-2-3-1- 25GG. Mamardashvili
- 2DJ. Gomez
- 4DV. van Dijk
- 33DR. Araújo
- 21DK. Tsimikas
- 38MR. Gravenberch
- 42MT. Nyoni
- 73MR. Ngumoha
- 53MJ. McConnell
- 18MC. Gakpo
- 67FL. Koumas
Chelsea4-3-3- 39GM. Penders
- 27DM. Gusto
- 5DM. Lacroix
- 3DW. Fofana
- 34DJoshua Kofi Acheampong
- 14MJ. Henderson
- 25MM. Caicedo
- 45MR. Lavia
- 7FPedro Neto
- 18FD. Welbeck
- 17FM. Rogers
Where to watch Liverpool v Chelsea
Kick-off is at 8pm on Wednesday 28 October (UK time, which is GMT after the clocks went back). The club says the match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports and ITV in the UK. That means Sky Sports coverage and a free-to-air showing on ITV1 and ITVX. If the scores are level after 90 minutes, the tie goes straight to a penalty shootout, with no extra time. This is a single-leg tie.
Cup numbers to know
- Liverpool's 3-1 home win over Tottenham in round three is their biggest margin of the competition so far, with 3 goals from 5 shots on target.
- Chelsea's 6-3 win over Leeds is their biggest cup win this season. They have scored 57% of their goals in the 46-60 minute window.
- The sides last met in a cup tie in the 2024 League Cup final, when Liverpool won 1-0 at Wembley.
- Their last meeting was a 1-1 Premier League draw at Anfield on 9 May 2026. Across 10 meetings the average is 2.0 goals, with both teams scoring in 60%.
Match Result: Liverpool to win
The strongest data point is the home-and-away split in the cup records. Liverpool have scored 3 goals in their one home tie, with none yet on the road. The head-to-head record is balanced at five draws in ten, and Liverpool were unbeaten in the last two meetings at Anfield in the supplied results. The numbers point to a narrow Liverpool win, which averages 3.19 expected goals per game, against a Liverpool side that has rotated heavily. The draw is priced at 11/4, and a shootout cannot be ruled out.