A dispensing assembly for a machine for preparing a liquid food product by means of capsules which have a body that houses a dose of a substance capable of forming a liquid food product by means of a fluid, such as water and/or steam, the dispensing assembly including - a casing having an inlet passage, suitable to enable insertion of a capsule into the dispensing assembly, and an outlet passage, suitable to enable discharge of the capsule from the dispensing assembly, - an infusion chamber which comprises a first chamber part and a second chamber part, at least one chamber part defining a housing configured to receive at least partially the capsule, - retention means, suitable to keep the capsule in a retaining position substantially coaxial to the first chamber part and the second chamber part, - an actuation system, operable to cause relative movements between the first chamber part and the second chamber part according to an actuation axis, between a spaced-apart position and a close position, wherein one between the first chamber part and the second chamber part is configured for supplying of the fluid in the capsule and the other one between the first chamber part and the second chamber part is configured for dispensing of the liquid food product from the infusion chamber, and wherein the retention means are mounted within the casing in a position intermediate to the inlet passage and the outlet passage, to be operative between the first chamber part and the second chamber part when said chamber parts (30, 31) are in the spaced-apart position, the dispensing assembly being characterized by comprising - a guide member mounted at the inlet passage to be displaceable between an inoperative position and an operative position, in which access to the inlet passage is allowed or prevented, respectively, - a longitudinally extended pusher member which is slidingly engaged in a respective through-guide of the guide member, to be displaceable according to a respective sliding axis between a first position and a second position, the sliding axis being generally transverse to the actuation axis when the guide member is in the operative position, in such a way that, with the guide member in the operative position and with the first chamber part and the second chamber part in the spaced-apart position, a displacement of the pusher member from the first position to the second position is capable of causing a thrust on the capsule towards the outlet passage, in order to free the capsule from the retention means. - a casing having an inlet passage, suitable to enable insertion of a capsule into the dispensing assembly, and an outlet passage, suitable to enable discharge of the capsule from the dispensing assembly, - an infusion chamber which comprises a first chamber part and a second chamber part, at least one chamber part defining a housing configured to receive at least partially the capsule, - retention means, suitable to keep the capsule in a retaining position substantially coaxial to the first chamber part and the second chamber part, - an actuation system, operable to cause relative movements between the first chamber part and the second chamber part according to an actuation axis, between a spaced-apart position and a close position, - a guide member mounted at the inlet passage to be displaceable between an inoperative position and an operative position, in which access to the inlet passage is allowed or prevented, respectively, - a longitudinally extended pusher member which is slidingly engaged in a respective through-guide of the guide member, to be displaceable according to a respective sliding axis between a first position and a second position, the sliding axis being generally transverse to the actuation axis when the guide member is in the operative position,