Chelsea are dealing with a growing list of injury concerns as they prepare to host Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday lunchtime. The Blues have had a difficult week, with their momentum under Xabi Alonso stalling after back-to-back wins over Bournemouth and Everton briefly lifted them to fourth in the Premier League.
However, they then suffered only their second home league defeat by Tottenham in 36 years before losing to Liverpool on penalties in the Carabao Cup fourth round following a 1-1 draw at Anfield. Cole Palmer will return from suspension for the United match, but several key players are doubts.
Caicedo and Gusto fitness concerns
Moises Caicedo, who has been captaining Chelsea in the absence of injured skipper Reece James, started in midfield as usual against Liverpool but was replaced by Valentin Barco with under 20 minutes remaining. Alonso later revealed that Caicedo had been dealing with “little problems” during the game, though it is not expected to sideline him again after a calf injury delayed his start to the campaign.
Malo Gusto was handed a rare start at Anfield but made way for Marco Palestra at the same time as Caicedo. Alonso said the French full-back, recently sidelined with illness, had been bothered by cramp and should not miss any time. The manager said: “We knew that it was going to be physical and after we had to deal with Max, Moi had little problems. Malo as well; he had cramps. We were a little bit forced with substitutions.”
Lacroix and Pedro injury blows
Maxence Lacroix, a mainstay since joining from Crystal Palace, started against Liverpool but could not complete the first half after pulling up while tracking Cody Gakpo. Speaking at full-time, Alonso said: “Too early to tell. Probably he felt something on the hamstring. And we need a couple of days to check what's going to be the injury.” His return date is unknown pending further assessment.
Joao Pedro is set to miss a “few weeks” with a thigh issue, indicating a potential return after the November international break. The Brazilian picked up the injury in training ahead of the Tottenham game, forcing Alonso to use Morgan Rogers as a makeshift striker. It is not his first injury this season, with a knee problem also preventing him from facing Brentford last month. Alonso said: “He has an injury of his thigh and he is going to be out for a few weeks. Let’s see how many. We don’t want to predict on that, but he is not ready for the next games.”
Martinez, James and other absentees
Emi Martinez missed the Spurs game after fracturing his jaw in a collision with Jarrad Branthwaite at Everton, requiring surgery. Back-up goalkeeper Mike Penders scored a nightmare own goal on his first Premier League start. Alonso said before the Tottenham match: “Emi is doing better. He had the surgery and day by day he is feeling better, but we still need to wait. A few weeks. Hopefully, less than more, but we need to wait.” Martinez is now pushing to return ahead of schedule, with a potential return in early November.
Reece James remains Chelsea’s only long-term absentee, sidelined with a knee issue that required surgery. Standard Sport understands James will be unavailable for approximately three months, with a potential return in mid-January. Pep Chavarria is training a little more but did not make the Liverpool trip, while Jamie Gittens is out with an ankle injury sustained on England Under-21s duty and is expected back in mid-November.
