Palmer scored twice to get past Leeds, and he is banned for Chelsea’s Carabao Cup trip to Liverpool
Chelsea go to Anfield in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday without the suspended Cole Palmer and probably without João Pedro, while Liverpool wait on Florian Wirtz’s ankle.
Oct 27, 2026
Cole Palmer turned Chelsea’s last Carabao Cup tie around. He came off the bench at half-time against Leeds at Stamford Bridge on 9 September, Leeds made it 2-0 three minutes later, and Palmer then scored twice in two minutes, the first from the penalty spot. Chelsea won 6-3. He will not be at Anfield on Wednesday. Palmer was sent off for a second yellow card in Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham, and the one-match ban falls on this fourth-round tie.
Kick-off is 8pm UK time on 28 October, which is 1:30am IST on Thursday. It is the first meeting between the clubs since a 1-1 draw at Anfield on 9 May, when Ryan Gravenberch scored in the sixth minute and Enzo Fernández equalised from a free kick before half-time. Chelsea have not won there since March 2021, when Mason Mount’s goal gave Thomas Tuchel’s side a 1-0 win.
Iraola has won four in a row, and has a Wirtz worry
Liverpool beat Brighton 2-0 on Sunday, a fourth straight win in all competitions. Florian Wirtz, whose shot went in off Pascal Gross for the first goal, limped off with an ankle knock midway through the second half and was replaced by Trey Nyoni. Wirtz played it down afterwards, but he has a cup tie on Wednesday and Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday, and Liverpool may not want to risk him in both.
Dominik Szoboszlai is the bigger absence. His stoppage-time volley finished off Tottenham in Liverpool’s 3-1 third-round win on 15 September, and he has been out since he was forced off with a hamstring problem at Brentford on 17 October. Jeremie Frimpong is out too.
How much Andoni Iraola rotates is the real question. He made ten changes for the Spurs tie, with only Ronald Araujo keeping his place from the weekend before. Alexander Isak, who has now scored in three league games running, is fit.
Alonso goes back without his best player
Xabi Alonso played five seasons for Liverpool, from 2004 to 2009, and he takes Chelsea back there at an awkward moment. The Spurs defeat ended a run of two straight league wins, over Bournemouth and Everton, and the Carabao Cup is the nearest chance of a trophy this season.
Palmer is not the only gap. João Pedro, the club’s top scorer with five Premier League goals, picked up an injury in training the day before the Spurs game and is expected to miss this one as well. Emiliano Martínez is still out with the jaw he broke against Everton, so the goalkeeping options are the same as on Saturday, when Mike Penders punched a corner into his own net. Reece James is out after knee surgery and Jamie Gittens has an ankle injury.
Chelsea host Manchester United on Saturday, with Palmer available again. Holders Manchester City are also in action on Wednesday, at home to Brighton.