Chelsea centre-back Maxence Lacroix has issued a rallying call to his teammates ahead of Wednesday’s “big” Carabao Cup fourth-round tie against Liverpool.

After the devastating 2-0 derby defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, Chelsea must now shift their focus to the Carabao Cup clash with Liverpool.

Considering their lack of European football and the eight-point gap to Premier League leaders Manchester City after just eight games, the domestic cups are arguably Chelsea’s only realistic chances of silverware this season.

While this may put the team under more pressure to win, Lacroix argued that it should also serve as extra motivation.

“It’s a big game for us,” Lacroix told Chelsea’s in-house media when speaking about the Liverpool cup tie.

“We want to go far in this competition, and it’s good that we have a game like this now.

“We have to move on (from the derby defeat) and work on some details to be stronger in certain moments and change some situations.

“We have to show the reaction of a competitor. We want to show another face; we want to win there, and it’s going to be a big game.”

It is unclear whether Lacroix will start against Liverpool, given the busy schedule, but the defender is one of the only Chelsea players to have featured in all 10 games so far this season. The summer signing also played the full 90 in nine of these, which speaks volumes about his fitness level.

Playing at home at Anfield and on a four-game winning streak, Liverpool are likely the slight favourites heading into the match. The Reds have only tasted one home defeat since the start of the season: the 3-0 loss to Manchester City earlier this month.

However, Chelsea are unbeaten in three games (two wins, one draw) against Liverpool since a 2-1 Premier League defeat at Anfield in October 2024. The last match between the two sides at Anfield ended in a 1-1 draw.

Additionally, the Blues also have a strong record in cup matches, the League Cup and UEFA Champions League, at Anfield, without a loss in the last four (two wins, two draws). Interestingly, Chelsea’s last poor cup result at Anfield was the 1-0 Champions League semi-final loss in 2007, when Xabi Alonso still played for Liverpool.

That said, Chelsea are winless in their last five visits to Anfield in all competitions, with three draws and two losses.

The upcoming clash is expected to be an even cup tie between two rotated sides, with Chelsea and Liverpool also preparing for big league fixtures at the weekend, against Manchester United and Arsenal, respectively.

The hosts will be without several players, including Hugo Ekitike, who is still recovering from his serious Achilles injury, while Dominik Szoboszlai and Victor Munoz remain doubtful. Chelsea, meanwhile, will be without several key personnel as well, including Joao Pedro (thigh) and Cole Palmer (suspension).