Liverpool host Chelsea in Carabao Cup fourth-round draw — SkimNews
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- Liverpool were drawn at home to Chelsea, setting up Xabi Alonso's first match at Anfield since becoming Chelsea manager, with ties scheduled for the week commencing October 26, 2026.
- Arsenal, the Premier League champions, drew the lowest-ranked side left in the competition, League Two Fleetwood Town, who upset Championship side Sheffield United at home in the third round.
- Alonso won the Champions League with Liverpool during what the source calls a "distinguished spell" as a player, and was touted as a possible successor to Arne Slot before joining Chelsea; Chelsea beat Leeds and Liverpool beat Tottenham to reach this round.
- Five of the eight fourth-round ties are all-Premier League fixtures, with a potential sixth if Manchester City beat Norwich on Thursday (live on Sky Sports).
- Brighton completed what the source calls a "sensational comeback" to win at Manchester United, earning a trip to face Manchester City or Norwich in the next round.
- Bradford vs Peterborough guarantees at least one League One team in the quarter-finals, the only all-non-Premier-League tie outside of Arsenal's visit to Fleetwood.
Why it matters: The draw hands Chelsea's Xabi Alonso a marquee first Anfield return as a rival manager — a storyline the source treats as the headline-grabbing subplot of an otherwise routine fixture announcement. Arsenal, meanwhile, get the softest possible path against the competition's lowest-ranked survivor. Five confirmed all-Premier League ties (potentially six) compress the gap between top-flight and lower-league sides to just one fixture — Bradford-Peterborough — leaving Arsenal-Fleetwood as the lone cup-romance opportunity in the round.
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