Chelsea are heading into one of their toughest games of the season tonight, but they’ll have to do it without one of their most important attacking players.
It's a huge match for both clubs. Liverpool, currently sitting 4th, are close to locking in a Champions League place with a win. And Chelsea are trying to stop a terrible run of six straight league defeats that has pushed them down to 9th in the table.
Neto’s absence is a real blow considering how important he has been this season. The Portuguese winger has quietly put together the best campaign of his career so far. He’s scored 10 goals and 8 assists in 49 appearances, and is one of Chelsea’s most-used players.
Earlier this season, he scored the first hat trick of his professional career during an FA Cup match against Hull City, and his performances earned him the Globe Worldwide Impact Award at the Portuguese Football Globe awards.
Chelsea’s Pedro Neto during the Emirates FA Cup semi-final match at Wembley Stadium, London. Picture date: Sunday April 26, 2026. (Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images)
Calum McFarlane confirmed Neto's absence
But tonight, he’s unavailable because of a minor muscle-related injury picked up in training. Chelsea interim manager Calum McFarlane confirmed before the match that Neto is dealing with a “knock” that has kept him out since the defeat against Nottingham Forest earlier this week.
The injury is not thought to be serious, and there’s still hope he’ll recover in time for the FA Cup final against Manchester City on May 16.
Chelsea’s problems out wide don’t stop there either. Alejandro Garnacho, Estêvão and Jamie Gittens are also unavailable, leaving Chelsea very short of natural wingers ahead of the trip to Anfield.
This Premier League fixture against Liverpool takes place today at Anfield. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 PM local time in the UK, which is 7:30 AM ET in the United States and 4:30 AM PT.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on May 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the Soccer section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
