Liverpool vs Chelsea: Iraola and Alonso clash with points to prove in Carabao Cup

Liverpool vs Chelsea: Iraola and Alonso clash with points to prove in Carabao Cup Liverpool face Chelsea in the League Cup fourth round at Anfield on Wednesday evening. The Reds beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-1, while the Blues came from 2-0 to claim a 6-3 win over Leeds United to set up this tie. Liverpool have won five, lost four and drawn one of their previous 10 meetings with Chelsea in the competition. The hosts head into the encounter on the back of four-game winning streak. They have lost just once across all competitions this season. Yet, Andoni Iraola heads into this fixture with points to prove. Liverpool opted to appoint Iraola over club legend Xabi Alonso after sacking Arne Slot last summer. A victory would further strengthen the former Bournemouth boss’s position at Merseyside. Liverpool suffered a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City in their last major home fixture against a Premier League rival. Iraola will be keen to avoid another damaging home defeat against Chelsea. The Reds have received a fitness boost ahead of the game, with Iraola optimistic that Florian Wirtz will be available after coming off injured against Brighton. Dominic Szoboszlai and Victor Munoz are also not ruled out. However, Iraola is expected to make several changes to the side that beat Brighton, with Arsenal set to visit Anfield on Sunday. Meanwhile, Chelsea head into the fixture on the back of a 2-0 defeat to local rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge. They have not won at Anfield since the 2020-21 season. Alonso has also lost on his two previous visits to Anfield as a manager. Cole Palmer is suspended, having received a red card against Spurs, while Joao Pedro will be sidelined for ‘ a few weeks ‘, further complicating matters for the visitors. This fixture offers the former Real Madrid midfielder a chance to show Liverpool’s hierarchy that they were wrong to overlook him in favour of Iraola. He is expected to rotate his side to keep his players fresh for Saturday’s meeting with Manchester United. After Saturday’s damaging defeat to Tottenham, Chelsea must respond with a victory away to Premier League rivals Liverpool.