Ooohhh... Shrewsbury almost take the lead, but for a top-drawer save from a world-class keeper - Petr Cech keeping out Nathaniel Knight-Percival's header from a corner at the near post.

Image source, PA

Early pressure from Chelsea in the form of two corners - the first works its way to Oscar whose shot is deflected behind, and the second is cleared by Shrewsbury who charge down the other end on the counter and win a set-piece of their own.

Kevin Kilbane
BBC Radio 5 live sports extra at Anfield

"Maybe Rodgers wanted to take Balotelli out of firing line. But I thought tonight might be opportunity to play Lambert and Balotelli up front together.

"Swansea players will be relishing playing at such a fine venue as Anfield and will want to express themselves tonight."

An early chance for Bournemouth as Yann Kermorgant cuts in from the left and tries his luck with a shot which is spilled but eventually dealt with by the Baggies.

Image source, @tim_woodhouse

Tim Woodhouse:, external It's the hope that gets us every time in the Woodhouse household - but we believe Shrewsbury can win!

Here we go then. Can the Shrews tame the Blues? We're under way at the Greenhous Meadow and also at Bournemouth and MK Dons.

Shrewsbury midfielder James Wesolowski suffered a groin problem in the warm-up, so captain Liam Lawrence comes off the bench to replace him.

Shrewsbury are playing with three up top - James Collins. Bobby Grant and Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro - tonight. They ain't going to sit back.

Phil Brown
BBC 5 live pundit at the Greenhous Meadow

"As a Shrewsbury player you have to remember these moments. Savour it. But make sure you give it absolutely everything."

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho on BBC Radio 5 live: "We have to respect the opponent because they have shown what they can do against opposition. What they did against Blackpool, Norwich and Leicester tells us a lot. We can feel they have a good team. Our players are tired after playing Sunday, but this is what football it is. I am sorry we cannot come here with a maximum strength team, but with Sunday's game it's difficult."

Wise words from Micky. And he's right... let's get this League Cup show on the road - but first a word from The Special One.

Shrewsbury manager Micky Mellon on Sky Sports: "We're obviously excited. The build-up has been fantastic. We've enjoyed the attention, but it's now time to get on the pitch. We've done everything that we usually do for every game.

"There's always a chance [to win], but we're not naive. Our chance is small and Chelsea's is massive."

Image source, Getty Images

It's a big night for Liverpool winger Lazar Markovic, who is still struggling to justify his £20m price tag since joining from Benfica in the summer. He's in the mix for the European Golden Boy Award (see 18:27), and Reds assistant manager Colin Pascoe has every faith the player can become a hit at Anfield.

"Lazar will definitely come good, he's a quality player," Pascoe said., external "That's why we brought him in here. He's working hard. He stays behind after training to do extra shooting.

"That's the kind of guy he is. He wants to do well and he's a winner."

Juliette Ferrington
BBC Sport

"The Special One knows. Jose Mourinho gets his pronunciation right - SHROOSbury...!!!"

I imagine there's a few big clubs sniffing around Saido Berahino these days, but West Brom manager Alan Irvine believes he can make the boy from Burundi even better - just like he did with Wayne Rooney while part of the Everton set-up.

"I think he can become an elite player," Irvine said., external "As long as he goes about his job in a way he is doing now - on the field and off it.

"I have quite a lot of chats with Saido - nothing major just little chats to just make sure he is going down the right road. I have been fortunate enough to have worked with a number of very talented young players over the years. Wayne Rooney springs to mind.

"We talk about it. It's one of the things he is interested in. He wants to know what Rooney was like at that age."

Every now and then you come across a player who it seems has been playing the game forever. Surely Ian Harte is about 65 by now?

He is in fact 37 and plays for Bournemouth as they host West Brom tonight. Harte, a stand-out man for Leeds at the turn of the century has since played for Levante, Sunderland, Blackpool, Carlisle and Reading.

Abdul Soale:, external I wouldn't have rested Mario Balotelli being that we are trying to get him into form.

David Mackay:, external About time Liverpool gave Brad Jones a chance in goal. Hope he plays well and gives Simon Mignolet some much needed competition.

Sugam Adhikari:, external Have stopped expecting too much from Liverpool. Hope they surprise me like last season.

Ex-Liverpool midfielder Jonjo Shelvey faces his former club as one of six men to keep their place in the Swansea side.

But striker Wilfried Bony, who was a reported transfer target for Liverpool in the summer, drops to the bench after his two-goal salvo against Leicester at the weekend. Bafetimbi Gomis replaces him, with Marvin Emnes and Nathan Dyer also coming into the starting XI.

Veteran German goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel again starts in the League Cup ahead of Lukasz Fabianski, while young Scottish midfielder Jay Fulton also makes a rare appearance.