Liverpool vs Chelsea Preview

Liverpool go into Wednesday’s Carabao Cup fourth round tie at Anfield on a four-match winning run, while Chelsea arrive off the back of a 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham. That contrast in recent results frames the latest meeting between two sides who have split their recent encounters down the middle. Liverpool have scored 14 goals in their last five games across all competitions. Chelsea’s last five, all in the Premier League, have brought two wins, two defeats and a draw. A quarter-final place is on the line. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT.

Sunday’s 2-0 home win over Brighton was Liverpool’s fourth straight victory, and their only clean sheet in the sample. The game before it was a 4-3 win over Villarreal at Anfield in the Champions League, and prior to that they won 2-1 at Brentford in the league and 6-3 away at LASK in Europe. The one defeat in the five is the oldest, a 3-0 home loss to Manchester City on 11 October. That adds up to 14 goals scored and ten conceded, with three goals let in during three of the five games. The turnaround is quick, with this tie coming three days after the Brighton game.

Two wins, a draw and two defeats, nine goals scored and eight conceded: Chelsea’s recent run has been mixed. The most recent result was Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham, which ended a two-game winning run. Before it, they won 2-0 at Everton and 5-1 at home to Bournemouth, the biggest scoreline of their sample. Further back sit a 3-0 defeat away at Brentford and a 2-2 home draw with Hull in September. Both defeats came without Chelsea scoring. They last played on Saturday, giving them a day longer to prepare than their hosts.

The last five meetings are evenly split, with two wins each and a draw. The most recent was a 1-1 draw at Anfield in May, and before that Chelsea won 2-1 at home in October 2025. Chelsea won both league meetings on their own ground in the sample, the other 3-1 in May 2025, while Liverpool are unbeaten in the two at Anfield, having won 2-1 there in October 2024. The last time the sides met in this competition, in February 2024, Liverpool won 1-0 after extra time. None of the five meetings was decided by more than two goals.

This is the last of Wednesday’s five ties to kick off, and one of eight in the round. Everton against Newcastle United on Thursday completes the line-up.

In the UK, the tie is live on ITV 1 UK and STV Scotland, with streaming on ITVX and STV Player, and it’s also on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Ultra HD, with Sky Go UK, SKY GO Extra and NOW streaming. Radio commentary comes from BBC Radio 5 Live and TalkSport Radio UK, while US viewers can stream the game on Paramount+.

Possible Lineups

Liverpool — Form

Chelsea — Form

Head to Head

Where to Watch

Other Fixtures This Week

Carabao Cup