Alonso is preparing to return to Anfield for the time as Blues manager, although he did so with his former clubs Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid in the Champions League in 2024 and 2025 respectively.

As a player, Alonso spent five successful years representing the Reds between 2004 and 2009. It was a period full of titanic Chelsea versus Liverpool clashes which spawned a north-south rivalry that continues to this day.

Alonso is now fully on the blue side of that rivalry and is determined to put one over his former club tonight.

‘I need to support my team,’ said Alonso. ‘I need to support my club. I fight for my club, and if we score, I will celebrate, for sure, but with respect for the opponent because my bond with Liverpool is there.

But I am in a different role now.’

Alonso does not believe his prior experiences as a manager at Anfield will bear much resemblance to this evening’s Carabao Cup tie, not least because his squad is accustomed to playing away fixtures against Liverpool domestically.

‘It’s a different game, different competition, different club, with players that have played at Anfield many times,’ he noted.

‘They know what we are expecting. It's a cup game, and there can be special moments. Some things are different in this kind of game, so I don't compare them.’