Liverpool – Chelsea

Recent form · Written before the match

Liverpool beat Tottenham 3-1 on 15 September 2026 in the League Cup, with a very heavily rotated lineup, and then had a sequence of Champions League, Premier League and cup matches before this game. Chelsea beat Leeds 6-3 on 9 September 2026 in the League Cup.

Chelsea were also due to host Tottenham on 24 October before traveling to Anfield. The complete results, individual workload, shots and comparable xG before 28 October are not sufficiently established; the degraded statistics from the cache are therefore not retained as current form.

Head-to-head · Written before the match

The documented recent head-to-head meetings are Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea at Anfield on 9 May 2026, Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool on 4 October 2025 and Chelsea 3-1 Liverpool on 4 May 2025. These league matches provide recent context, but their prédictive valeur is limited because the coaches, squads, goalkeepers, objectives and competition format may differ.

Absences and returns

For Liverpool, Cody Gakpo, Alexander Isak and Dominik Szoboszlai were still unavailable due to physical issues as of October 13, 2026, with a gradual return mentioned without a guaranteed date; Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike and Giovanni Leoni were described as long-term absentees. Their status on October 28 remains unknown.

For Chelsea, Jamie Gittens was announced as out for a few weeks on October 9, 2026. Moisés Caicedo, Reece James, Marco Palestra, Cole Palmer and João Pedro had returned or were in contention at that date; Caicedo started against Bournemouth on October 10.

Their status for the League Cup, as well as any potential suspensions, remains to be verified.

Context & news

The match is the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, a single-elimination tie with no aggregate score, at Anfield. Liverpool scenario: home advantage, a possible fresh lineup and a higher press could favor the Reds, but only if their goalkeeper, center-back pairing and main attackers are available despite a congested schedule.

Chelsea scenario: quick transitions and attacks into the space behind a reshuffled défense could exploit Liverpool’s uncertainties, especially if several absentees do not return; in return, Chelsea must travel to Anfield and Gittens’ status remains unverified.