Twelve out and Chelsea still the cup tie
Andoni Iraola is without a number of players for the Carabao Cup fourth round against Chelsea. Twelve could miss it (2).
It is not the XI he wanted for a cup night. It is the squad he has. Liverpool host Chelsea on Wednesday evening at Anfield, the final game of the round (2) (4).
Chelsea are short too. Joao Pedro joins Cole Palmer on the absent list for the tie, as the away fans have noticed.
Get the next Liverpool FC brief by email
This article went out to subscribers as a brief. Get the next one straight to your inbox, free.
Free · No spam · Unsubscribe anytime
Alonso in the other dugout, and he will celebrate
Xabi Alonso manages Chelsea now, and he was asked if he would celebrate beating Liverpool. He answered straight.
"Of course, I will celebrate. With full respect, my warmth with I was there as a player. But now, I am in a different role. I need to support my team. I need to support my club. I fight for my club and if we score, I will celebrate with respect."
He also had warm words for Florian Wirtz, calling the time they spent together at Leverkusen one of the main reasons he is where he is. "He was a special player, he helped me so much, I learned so much from him and now that he's in LFC I'm following him... and he's getting there."
Frimpong out until after the international break
Jérémie Frimpong is out until after the November international break (6).
That opens the right side of the defence, and Ronald Araujo is the one who gets the minutes there. Araujo is on loan, and Liverpool hold a €56m purchase option on him (6).
He is happy, but he is not talking about a permanent stay yet. "Je suis vraiment heureux d'être ici, mais c'est un peu tôt pour parler de ces choses," he said, which is French for he is really happy here but it is a bit early to talk about those things (6).
Ngumoha close to a new long-term deal
Rio Ngumoha is close to signing a new long-term contract at Liverpool, with Arsenal interested (5).
The 18-year-old winger kept his answer short. "C'est entre les mains de mon agent maintenant. Je pense que tout se passe bien," he said, meaning it is in his agent's hands now and he thinks it is going well (5).
Getting him tied down keeps one of your best young players away from a Premier League rival.
Van Dijk's heir would cost £100m
Liverpool are interested in Luka Vuskovic as the long-term replacement for Virgil van Dijk, but Brighton want £100m (7).
Van Dijk is out of contract at the end of the season, and the club are scouting centre-backs (7). Vuskovic was watched closely in the 2–0 win over Brighton on Sunday (7).
Stuttgart's Finn Jeltsch is also on the list, with Real Madrid and Barcelona monitoring him too (3).
Trent's decision, Quansah and a £50.3m hijack
Trent Alexander-Arnold has reportedly made a decision on a potential return to Anfield (1). Jarell Quansah could draw January interest (1).
Liverpool are also considering a hijack of a Barcelona move for a £50.3m-rated target, with the Spanish side planning a winter approach (8).
Arsenal on Sunday, without Saka
Arsenal come to Anfield on Sunday at 17:30 CET (9).
Bukayo Saka is out for them. Declan Rice is a doubt. Dowman is banned after his red card against Fleetwood (9).
After that it is Fenerbahce away on Wednesday November 4, then Crystal Palace away on Sunday November 8.
Fan reactions
The mood on the sub is the most positive it has been in a while. Fans are sharing a podcast clip arguing that "there's something building at Liverpool" under Iraola, and a clip of a lovely piece of play from Jacquet. Chelsea's absentees for the cup tie have not gone unnoticed either, with Joao Pedro added to Cole Palmer on the missing list. The thread
