Back
Liverpool's pursuit of a record-breaking 11th Carabao Cup trophy continues with their fixture against Chelsea tonight. The Reds climbed into the Premier League's top four for the first time this season following their 2-0 home win over high-flying Brighton. The three points secured meant Andoni Iraola's team achieved back-to-back victories, after their 2-1 success against Brentford the previous weekend.
The Spaniard's squad have enjoyed a resurgence in form in recent weeks and will aim to maintain their momentum against Reds legend and current Chelsea manager, Xabi Alonso.
Amid their evolution under the 43-year-old, they've been suggested as a possible landing spot for their former academy product, Trent Alexander-Arnold. Meanwhile, Iraola has received a caution. Express Sport examines the latest developments emerging from Merseyside....
Trent Alexander-Arnold return approved
Jamie Carragher says he'd welcome Trent Alexander-Arnold making a remarkable return to Liverpool. The 28-year-old has failed to establish himself in the Spanish capital following his move last summer.
He's managed just three league starts this campaign and has slipped to third in the right-back pecking order, behind Denzel Dumfries and Federico Valverde.
His limited game time and the Reds' ongoing lack of creativity from the right flank has prompted Carragher to confess he'd embrace the England star's return to Anfield.
The pundit said on The Overlap: "I'd have him back. Give him plenty of stick, [because] I think he made a mistake. I think he made a big mistake. But, as I said, if something benefits Liverpool Football Club going forward.
"And when you think of the problems Liverpool have in terms of the right-back. Ronnie (Ronald Araujo) has been fantastic, but we do have a problem in terms of full-backs passing. We've definitely missed his creativity."
Iraola warned
Iraola would be wise to avoid repeating the approach Slot adopted during Liverpool's fourth-round Carabao Cup exit to Crystal Palace last season, according to Reds icon John Aldridge.
He's been encouraged to resist making sweeping changes to his starting eleven. In October 2025, the Dutchman fielded eight teenagers, with three in the starting line-up, as part of a heavily rotated squad against the Eagles, who comfortably defeated the inexperienced Reds 3-0 at Anfield.
Aldridge pointed to Chelsea's squad depth as a key factor why Iraola cannot risk fielding a diminished team at Anfield.
The former frontman wrote in his column for the Liverpool Echo: "We can't do that with Chelsea because they're out of Europe. They need the cup, they need it, and they will come to Anfield and play their strongest side.
"We've got to match them and it's going to be tough. I'll tell you what, it's tough for the manager because we've got injuries and you want to keep the players fresh for the league and for Europe.
"I don't envy the manager, but we do want a cup run and you win this game and you're in the quarter-finals, so it's a tough one. It really is a tough one."
Back
Top
| Privacy Statement Terms of Service Contact |
Refresh
|
All the best breaking news stories from Apex Football Lite. Optimised for feature phones and low end Android devices, Apex Football Lite helps users with legacy devices and poor network connectivity access the latest football news and live scores. Particularly relevant for breaking football news in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.