PreviewFootball28 October 2026, 05:252 min read

Liverpool vs Chelsea Prediction: EFL Cup Preview and Team News

By The SharpTips Team

Illuminated football stadium at night packed with cheering spectators under bright floodlights

Liverpool host Chelsea at Anfield in the EFL Cup fourth round. We look at form, absences, likely rotation and the market ahead of the 20:00 kick-off.

Liverpool welcome Chelsea to Anfield on Wednesday 28 October, with kick-off at 20:00 UK time, in the fourth round of the EFL Cup. It is a heavyweight draw, but both sides have league fixtures against big opponents on Sunday, so rotation is likely.

Here is what the data and the press tell us before the teams are confirmed. Line-ups are not yet published, so everything on team news should be treated as provisional.

Liverpool form and recent results

Liverpool arrive with four straight wins across competitions. Their last five read WWWWL, with a 2-0 home win over Brighton, a 4-3 win over Villarreal in the Champions League, a 2-1 win at Brentford and a 6-3 win at Lask Linz. The defeat in that run was a 0-3 loss to Manchester City.

Those results point to a side that scores freely but has also been conceding. In this competition they have played once this season, scoring three and conceding one at home.

Chelsea form and absences

Chelsea come into the tie after a 0-2 Premier League defeat to Tottenham. Before that they beat Everton 2-0 and Bournemouth 5-1, lost 0-3 at Brentford and drew 2-2 with Hull City. In the EFL Cup they have played twice this season, scoring four at home and keeping one clean sheet.

The absence list is long. Cole Palmer is suspended after his red card against Tottenham, and the ban carries over to domestic cup games. Emiliano Martinez is out with a broken jaw, Reece James is recovering from knee surgery and Joao Pedro is a doubt with a knee problem.

Liverpool team news and likely line-ups

Liverpool have their own issues. Szoboszlai and Frimpong are out with hamstring injuries, and Victor Munoz is a doubt with a knee problem. Wirtz twisted an ankle against Brighton; the club called it small, but with games every three days Sky-style caution is expected, and one report says he is unlikely to be risked.

Sources differ on the expected XIs. One projects Liverpool in a 4-2-3-1 with Ngumoha and Nyoni, while another has Barcola, Wirtz and Gakpo. For Chelsea, both suggest a 3-4-2-1 with young players such as Quenda, with Estevao or Rogers and Welbeck also mentioned.

Head-to-head and what the market says

Liverpool have not lost their last five home meetings with Chelsea. The most recent was a 1-1 Premier League draw at Anfield in May 2026. Our data feed shows no other recent head-to-head fixtures, so that is the main guide.

Bet365 makes Liverpool slight favourites at 2.10, with the draw at 3.90 and Chelsea at 3.00. The goals market leans towards a lively game, with Over 2.5 goals at 1.48 and both teams to score at 1.44. As always, betting carries risk, and odds reflect probability, not certainty.

Get the full SharpTips prediction

Our full prediction for this tie, including our pick, estimated odds and the reasoning behind it, is available to subscribers. You can also check our public track record, and three free predictions are available every day if you want to see how we work first.