Anfield Under Lights: Palmer Suspended, Wirtz a Doubt as Liverpool and Chelsea Rotate for Carabao Cup Showdown

Liverpool host Chelsea tonight at Anfield in the Carabao Cup fourth round, with kick-off at 8:00 p.m. BST live on Sky Sports and ITV1. It is the standout tie of the round and the 202nd meeting between the clubs. Both managers are expected to rotate heavily during a congested week.

For Liverpool, Andoni Iraola has confirmed changes after four consecutive wins, including a 2-0 victory over Brighton. Giorgi Mamardashvili is set to continue in goal. Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong, Hugo Ekitike and Giovanni Leoni are unavailable, and Dominik Szoboszlai is unlikely to feature. Florian Wirtz is a doubt after twisting his ankle against Brighton, although Iraola remains optimistic. Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Alexander Isak are likely to be rested ahead of Arsenal, which should create opportunities for Rio Ngumoha, Lewis Koumas, Joe Gomez and Kostas Tsimikas.

Chelsea arrive after a 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham and return to Anfield without Cole Palmer, who is suspended after his red card on Saturday. Joao Pedro is out for several weeks with a knee injury, while Reece James and Emiliano Martinez remain sidelined. Mike Penders will keep his place in goal, with Estevao Willian set for his first start in over a month alongside Danny Welbeck. Malo Gusto, Romeo Lavia and Valentin Barco are all pushing for starting places as Xabi Alonso looks for a response.