Chelsea face an uphill battle taking on Liverpool at Anfield in the Carabao Cup fourth round without talisman Cole Palmer.

The Blues are in desperate need of a bounce back after a woeful 2–0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend. It marked the first home defeat of the Xabi Alonso era and also just the second time in 36 years Chelsea suffered a league defeat to Spurs at Stamford Bridge.

There’s hardly time to dwell on the poor performance with a battle on Merseyside in the cards. Standing between Alonso’s men and a trip to the Carabao Cup quarterfinals is a Liverpool side on a four-game winning streak.

Chelsea cruised past Luton Town and then staged a dominant comeback against Leeds United to book their place in the fourth round. But a whole new challenge awaits, especially without Palmer available.

Chelsea Confirmed Lineup vs. Liverpool

Starting XI (4-3-3): Penders; Acheampong, Fofana, Lacroix, Gusto; Caicedo, Lavia, Henderson; Neto, Welbeck, Rogers.

Substitutes: Teddy Sharman-Lowe (GK), Levi Colwill, Olutayo Subuloye, Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli, Marco Palestra, Valentín Barco, Emmanuel Emegha, Estêvão, Geovany Quenda.

Why Cole Palmer Isn’t Playing Against Liverpool

Palmer saw red in Chelsea’s defeat at the weekend, picking up two needless yellow cards that saw him sent off in the 80th minute. The England international was lucky to escape with just a caution after running into Mateus Fernandes, but then forced the referee’s hand when he later stepped on Conor Gallagher’s ankle.

The red card came with a one-game ban for Palmer, which he is serving against Liverpool on Wednesday. His absence is a nightmare for Alonso, who is also without the injured João Pedro.

Instead, the Spanish boss must put his faith in veteran Danny Welbeck to lead his line, along with Morgan Rogers and Pedro Neto. Estêvão is once again left on the bench.

The good news for Chelsea is Palmer will now be available for this weekend’s bout with Manchester United. All eyes will be on the fixture at Stamford Bridge as Michael Carrick fights to keep his job.

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Cole Palmer Isn’t Playing for Chelsea vs. Liverpool—Carabao Cup.