Xabi Alonso: I will celebrate if we score against Liverpool; I have been following Wirtz

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso stated in his pre-match press conference that he would certainly celebrate if his team scored a goal against Liverpool in the League Cup. Additionally, Xabi Alonso confirmed that João Pedro would be out for several weeks due to a thigh injury, and is expected to miss at least the away matches against Liverpool, Manchester United, and Sunderland.

Xabi Alonso will lead Chelsea to an away game against Liverpool in the fourth round of the League Cup on Wednesday night. Chelsea previously lost 0-2 to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, and the team hopes to use this opportunity to regroup, but João Pedro's absence will affect the team's attack.

Xabi Alonso played for Liverpool during his playing career and won the 2005 Champions League with the team. He scored the equalizer against Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul and also won the FA Cup during his time at Anfield.

Although Xabi Alonso still has deep feelings for Liverpool, he clearly stated that if Chelsea scores in this match, he will not deliberately suppress his celebratory emotions.

Xabi Alonso said: "Of course, I will definitely celebrate. At the same time, I will also show them full respect. I did have deep feelings for Liverpool as a player, but now my role is different. I need to support my team, support my club. I will fight for my club, and if we score, I will definitely celebrate with full respect for the opponent."

Xabi Alonso also spoke about his previous links to the Liverpool manager job. In 2024, as Jürgen Klopp prepared to leave Liverpool, Xabi Alonso was linked with the position.

Xabi Alonso responded: "I was at Bayer Leverkusen at the time and was aware of the situation, but I decided to stay. That was the decision I made then."

João Pedro's injury is another challenge currently facing Chelsea. The 25-year-old Brazilian forward suffered a thigh injury in the last training session before Chelsea's home match against Tottenham Hotspur last Friday, and subsequently missed the team's 0-2 loss.

Xabi Alonso previously stated that João Pedro would be out for several weeks, with the exact recovery time still uncertain.

"Yes, he has a thigh injury and will be out for a few weeks. We will see how long it takes. We don't want to make predictions, but he will be unavailable for the next few games."

When asked if João Pedro would be out until after the next international break, Xabi Alonso replied: "Most likely."

According to the current situation, João Pedro is expected to miss Chelsea's away League Cup match against Liverpool, as well as subsequent Premier League matches against Manchester United and Sunderland, and is not expected to return until after the next international break.

João Pedro's absence has also brought attention to Chelsea's attacking options. Emmanuel Emegha, who joined from Strasbourg this summer, has resumed training. The 23-year-old forward has yet to make an appearance for Chelsea and is expected to make his debut at Anfield.

Xabi Alonso said: "It is certainly important for us that he can return because he has special qualities. He must confirm that he is fully recovered.

"For the past two weeks, or about 10 days, he has been training well, which has helped him build a solid physical foundation. Now we hope to gradually give him playing time, and maybe he will have a chance to play tomorrow."

Welbeck is also expected to get an opportunity. The 35-year-old forward only came off the bench in the 88th minute of Chelsea's 0-2 loss to Tottenham Hotspur, but he is currently in good physical condition and is expected to start at Anfield.

Previously against Tottenham Hotspur, due to João Pedro's absence, Xabi Alonso included Geovany Quenda in the squad and used Morgan Rogers as a false nine, but this adjustment did not yield ideal results. Chelsea struggled to pose enough threat to Tottenham Hotspur's goal in the match, and their attack had to rely on long balls at one point.

In addition to the forward line issues, Xabi Alonso also spoke about Liverpool midfielder Wirtz. The two worked together at Bayer Leverkusen and achieved great success in the 2023-24 season. Bayer Leverkusen went 51 games unbeaten in all competitions that season, winning the Bundesliga title for the first time in their history, with Wirtz being a key contributor to the team.

In that historic season, Wirtz scored 18 goals and provided 19 assists in all competitions. In the summer of 2025, Xabi Alonso left Bayer Leverkusen and moved to Real Madrid, and less than a month later, Liverpool signed Wirtz for £116 million.

However, Wirtz's performance since joining Liverpool has been questioned. To date, he has made 60 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions, scoring 8 goals and providing 11 assists, but has shown some improvement in his last four games.

Xabi Alonso said of Wirtz: "I can only talk about the time I worked with Flo at Bayer Leverkusen. There is no doubt that one of the main reasons I am here today is my experience working with him at Bayer Leverkusen. He is a special player who helped me a lot, and I learned a lot from him. Now he plays for Liverpool, and I have been following him. We all know that taking the next step is always interesting, and he is gradually adapting."