Claude Makélélé
Chelsea were expected to start their new signings Shevchenko and Michael Ballack, however they would be without midfielder Claude Makélélé, who had been allowed extra time to recover from playing for France in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. They would be without goalkeeper Petr Čech and midfielder Joe Cole, who had knee and shoulder injuries respectively. Liverpool were expected to be without striker Robbie Fowler and defender Aurélio for the match, who were suffering from knee and calf injuries respectively. Manager Rafael Benítez stated 'we would rather wait until next weekend', before playing the pair.