Xabi Alonso has insisted he will celebrate if Chelsea score against his former club Liverpool in the Carabao Cup at Anfield. 

The Blues must do it without star Brazilian striker Joao Pedro, who faces weeks on the sidelines with a thigh problem picked up in training on the eve of Saturday’s dismal 2-0 derby defeat by Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge.

Alonso still holds fond feelings for Liverpool, where he spent five years as a player, won the FA Cup and lifted the 2005 Champions League after scoring the equaliser against AC Milan in Istanbul. However, speaking ahead of the Carabao Cup tie, the Chelsea boss made it clear he will not copy the muted celebrations some players offer against their former clubs.

“Of course, I will celebrate, for sure,” Alonso said. “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.”

Joao Pedro injury leaves Chelsea short up front

Pedro is set to miss the trip to Anfield and Premier League clashes with Manchester United and Sunderland, ruling the 25-year-old out until the next international break at least. That leaves Alonso with two recognised strikers: Danny Welbeck, 35, and Emmanuel Emegha, yet to appear since his summer move from Strasbourg.

Welbeck is expected to start, having only come on in the 88th minute against Spurs despite being fully fit. Alonso instead brought in Geovany Quenda and used Morgan Rogers as a false nine, but Chelsea struggled to threaten Tottenham and often resorted to hoof-and-hope tactics.

Alonso could have been in the home dugout at Anfield had his managerial career taken a different path, having first been linked with Liverpool in 2024 when Jurgen Klopp was leaving. Asked about that, he said: “Well at that time, I was at (Bayer) Leverkusen and I was aware of the situation but I decided to stay. That was my decision at the time.”

Alonso managed Florian Wirtz at Leverkusen and, responding to criticism of Liverpool’s £116 million signing, he said: “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.”

Cristiano Ronaldo has been included in Portugal’s preliminary squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures despite a high-profile falling out with head coach Jorge Jesus. The veteran forward’s inclusion follows a controversial period in which he abandoned the national team camp during the previous international break.

In a development that has surprised many following a month of intense speculation, Ronaldo has been named in Portugal’s pre-selection list for the November international break. The Al-Nassr star finds himself back in the frame for the national team despite a dramatic exit from the squad in September, which had cast significant doubt over his future under the leadership of Jesus. The veteran forward is part of an extensive preliminary list alongside Al-Nassr teammates Joao Felix and Samu Costa.

The captain’s return holds particular significance after his storming exit from the national team in September. Tensions boiled over after he was left as an unused substitute against Norway in Oslo, leading to a heated clash with Jesus before the forward walked out ahead of the Denmark fixture.

Portugal are scheduled to face Denmark in Braga before traveling to Cardiff to take on Wales in their final Nations League Group A4 matches.

Harry Kane admitted winning the Ballon d’Or was an achievement beyond his wildest dreams, after edging out Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal to be crowned the world’s best player.

The Bayern Munich and England striker claimed football’s most prestigious individual prize at a star-studded award ceremony in London on Monday, becoming the fifth English player to do so and the first in 25 years.

Kane’s award came after a year in which he helped Bayern Munich retain their Bundesliga crown and captained England to a third-place finish at the World Cup – their best-ever on foreign soil.

He plundered a remarkable 73 goals for club and country in 2025-26, with the only other instance of a player from Europe’s top five leagues scoring 70+ goals in a single campaign coming in 2011-12, when Lionel Messi netted 82 en route to one of his eight Ballon d’Or triumphs.

Speaking on stage after receiving the prize, Kane said: “I am almost speechless. Being here in London has made it extra special – that made it a good omen for me.

“Thank you to everyone who voted for me. I can imagine it was tough this year. There are some world-class players in the room tonight.”

Kane’s triumph capped a remarkable rise to the top of the game, for a player who had loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich City and Leicester City in the early stages of his career.

And Kane, who netted 280 times for Tottenham before joining Bayern in 2023 and finally halting his personal trophy drought by winning two Bundesliga crowns, one DFB-Pokal and two DFL Supercups, admits he could never have foreseen his triumph.

“Not many people would have thought it, and maybe even myself, I wouldn’t have thought I’d get this far,” Kane said.

“I had to go through many ups and downs, especially early in my career. I was never the person that people thought was going to be the superstar, like some of the guys.

“I had to bide my time and work hard, a lot of times it was me against my own mind and I had to come through it.

“I had to show self-belief, determination. I think that grounded me, even when I did make it at the highest level, to keep improving and keep getting better.

“No matter what I achieve, how many goals I score, winning the Ballon d’Or, it’s always about getting better. This is a showcase of that.”