The games keep coming thick and fast for Andoni Iraola, so who will be in his lineup on Wednesday night? With Arsenal to come on Sunday, most Kopites would have been hoping for a favourable draw in the EFL Cup fourth round, especially considering the Gunners' travel to League Two Fleetwood.
Instead, Anfield will play host to the tie of the round, with Chelsea the visitors, a repeat of the finals from 2005, 2022 and 2024. As it is a Carabao Cup tie, Iraola will rotate, but needs to find the right balance, considering the level of the opposition, so this is the XI we're forecasting he will select.
GK: Giorgi Mamardashvili
Alisson will be given the night off and Giorgi Mamardashvili will be donning the gloves, having been excellent in the previous round against Spurs, making five saves.
RB: Ronald Araújo
In the absence of Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong, Iraola does not have many options at right-back. Thus, we are forecasting that Ronald Araújo will keep his place in this position.
CB: Joe Gomez
The other right-back option is Joe Gomez but, having barely featured this season due to a muscle injury, we are forecasting that the 29 year old is deployed centrally.
CB: Wataru Endō
Alongside, assuming neither Jérémy Jacquet nor Virgil van Dijk are included in the lineup, Iraola has two choices. He could go for Luke Chambers, who has not started for Liverpool since a Europa League defeat against Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in December 2023.
The 22 year old did come off the bench against LASK a fortnight ago, so is in Iraola's plans. However, we are forecasting he will select the more experienced Wataru Endō, handing the Japanese international his first minutes since suffering a foot injury in February.
LB: Kostas Tsimikas
Left-back is a simple one; Miloš Kerkez started on Sunday so Kostas Tsimikas will be rotated in.
CDM: Trey Nyoni
Teenager Trey Nyoni was excellent in the previous round against Tottenham, subsequently starting Champions League ties against LASK and Villarreal, set for another chance to shine here.
CM: Ryan Gravenberch
With Dominik Szoboszlai sidelined, who does Iraola go for in midfield? He could select James McConnell but, alongside Nyoni, is unlikely to go for two youngsters, given the level of the opposition.
Thus, it would have to be either Alexis Mac Allister or Ryan Gravenberch, and the Dutchman should be fresher, having sat out the recent win over Brentford suspended.
CAM: Florian Wirtz
Despite hobbling off at the weekend, when asked about Florian Wirtz during his pre-match press conference on Monday, Iraola stated that he is "quite optimistic that he will be available". Given the absence of the aforementioned Szoboszlai, there is not really anyone else who could be deployed in the number ten role so, assuming he is good to go, the German will be looking to carry on his impressive form.
RW: Federico Chiesa
Despite the fact Víctor Muñoz is sidelined, Iraola does have options in attack. Thus, we are forecasting he'll change his entire front three compared to the weekend, with Bradley Barcola, Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo all dropping out.
Federico Chiesa has made just one appearance this season, a two minute cameo against Man City, so will be looking for a first goal since netting against Qarabağ in January.
ST: Lewis Koumas
When Isak was sidelined, Lewis Koumas impressed at centre-forward, starting four times there, including scoring in the Champions League at Oberösterreich Arena two weeks ago.
LW: Rio Ngumoha
Last, but by no means least, Rio Ngumoha spent eight years in Chelsea's academy, before swapping Cobham for Merseyside in 2024. The teenager dazzled against Villarreal last Tuesday, bagging two assists, probably unfairly not in Iraola's first-choice XI right now, so will he be the star at Anfield again?
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