Alonso Vows to Celebrate Against Liverpool Despite Former Ties

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has stated he will celebrate if his team scores against his former club Liverpool, despite maintaining respect for his past ties. "With full respect because for sure, my warmth with Liverpool 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 whole respect," Alonso said.

Chelsea will face Liverpool without their key striker Joao Pedro, who sustained a thigh injury in the final training session before their recent 2-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur. Pedro is now expected to miss upcoming matches, including the Carabao Cup tie at Anfield and Premier League fixtures against Manchester United and Sunderland, prior to the next international break.

Alonso's side struggled offensively in their derby defeat to Tottenham, with options at striker now limited to Emmanuel Emegha, who is yet to play since joining from Strasbourg, and veteran Danny Welbeck. Geovany Quenda was introduced in Pedro's absence against Spurs, with Morgan Rogers playing as a false nine, but the team struggled to create clear chances.

During his playing career, Alonso spent five years at Anfield, winning the Champions League in 2005 and scoring the equalizer in the final against AC Milan. He acknowledged a past link to the Liverpool manager role when Jurgen Klopp was set to depart but opted to remain with Bayer Leverkusen at the time.

Alonso also commented on Liverpool's significant signing, Florian Wirtz, who he managed at Leverkusen. "One of the main reasons for me being here is the time that I spent with him in Leverkusen. He was a special player. He helped me so much. I learned so much from him and now that he's in Liverpool, I'm following him and we know that the next step is always an interesting one and he's getting there," Alonso said.