Wirtz Fitness and Xabi Alonso Talk Dominate Chelsea Build-Up
Liverpool's build-up to Wednesday night's Carabao Cup clash with Chelsea at Anfield has been dominated by Florian Wirtz's fitness and the prospect of Xabi Alonso returning to familiar surroundings as Chelsea head coach.
LiverpoolFC.com gives an official fitness update covering Wirtz, Victor Munoz and Dominik Szoboszlai, while also flagging that changes are likely to the side that takes on Chelsea (LiverpoolFC.com). This Is Anfield echoes that uncertainty around Wirtz's fitness, while also touching on other transfer-related lines including a reported "target" in Manu Kone and an update on Scott (This Is Anfield). The strongest confirmation on Wirtz comes from This Is Anfield, who report he is included in Liverpool's 21-man squad to face Chelsea (This Is Anfield), something Liverpool.com also wrestle with as they preview the team news, suggesting Andoni Iraola faces a selection decision on Wirtz among as many as 13 possible absentees, alongside Ronald Araujo (Liverpool.com).
On team selection, Liverpool.com go further with a predicted lineup piece, reporting that Iraola has promised changes against Chelsea and that decisions have been made regarding both Wirtz and Rio Ngumoha, as the Reds look to book a place in the quarter-finals (Liverpool.com).
Elsewhere, there's a strong personal subplot given Xabi Alonso's history with Wirtz. The Liverpool Echo reports that Alonso, who worked with Wirtz at Bayer Leverkusen, is "following" his former player's progress and makes what's described as a "major claim" about the £116m signing (Liverpool Echo). Liverpool.com carry a similar line, quoting Alonso saying "I'm following him" and describing Wirtz as "special", with the pair set for a reunion as Alonso's Chelsea travel to Anfield (Liverpool.com). This Is Anfield add further colour on the Alonso angle, reporting that the Spaniard has credited Wirtz as "one of main reasons" he took the Chelsea job (This Is Anfield).
Taken together, the outlets broadly agree that Wirtz's inclusion and fitness is the key team news story, with This Is Anfield and Liverpool.com confirming his place in the squad while leaving final selection open to question. The Alonso subplot adds extra intrigue to the occasion, with multiple outlets picking up on his admiration for Wirtz ahead of the two sides meeting in the Carabao Cup.
Written with the help of AI, using the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.