Chelsea are preparing for their return to Premier League action with a number of key fitness concerns ahead of Bournemouth's visit to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The biggest concern regards Joao Pedro, who missed the humbling loss to Brentford before the break, while Moises Caicedo has played only 14 minutes in total so far this season and Cole Palmer pulled out of the most recent England squad, much to the frustration of Thomas Tuchel.
Captain Reece James has also been sidelined again, though Chelsea fans will hope that the likes of summer signings Marco Palestra and Emmanuel Emegha may now be able to make an impact.
Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer latest
Chelsea's reigning player of the season rescued a draw at home to newly-promoted Hull on his last appearance, but news of an injury subsequently emerged and Alonso remained coy before he missed the dismal 3-0 defeat by west London rivals Brentford before the international break.
Such an issue also caused Joao Pedro to withdraw shortly after his return to Carlo Ancelotti's Brazil squad, with Standard Sport understanding that he has been receiving treatment from a knee specialist. That is part of an attempt to speed up his comeback, with initial reports in his homeland suggesting that the former Brighton frontman could be out for up to four weeks. An exact return date is unclear, but it should be at some point in October if he's ruled out against Bournemouth.
Palmer was among a raft of players to pull out of the most recent England squad for the start of the 2026/27 Nations League, which led Tuchel to lament that the player "misses way too many camps". It was reported that Palmer, who was hampered for much of last season by a long-term groin injury, had then gone abroad on holiday and was working on his fitness with the help of a rehabilitation coach. There seems to be hope that he will be available for selection against Bournemouth.
Caicedo, James and other absentees
Alonso has been able to use Caicedo for only 14 minutes so far this season as the result of a persistent calf issue that has limited him to one substitute cameo, against former club Brighton, which quickly ended in him being brought off again. The midfielder was not called up by Ecuador for friendlies against South Korea, Japan and Panama in a bid to help him fully shake off the problem.
Caicedo was not involved against Brentford, though Alonso had suggested that he was close. Provided there have been no further setbacks since then, he should be in contention to face Bournemouth.
Chelsea's influential captain missed the defeat at Brentford with the latest in a long line of hamstring injuries and was unavailable for England selection too. However, Alonso said before that game that he only just missed out, so you would expect him to also be back some three weeks later when the Blues take on Bournemouth.
Palestra, Gittens, Emegha and Penders
Chelsea's £27 million summer signing from Atalanta has yet to make his competitive debut in English football despite impressing during pre-season, having picked up a muscle injury in training in the days before their opening match against rivals Fulham. He has been working his way back ever since and now looks poised to finally return, having been seen back training fully at Cobham in recent weeks. Palestra was one of the players expected to face Portsmouth before he hopes to be handed a first Premier League chance against Bournemouth.
Gittens started for England's Under-21s in their 2027 European Championship qualifier against Kazakhstan at Molineux last week, but was taken off late in the first half with an ankle injury. He was later spotted on crutches and returned to Chelsea early for assessment and treatment, before another period on the sidelines.
Like fellow summer signing Palestra, Emegha has yet to make his competitive Chelsea debut as the result of a hamstring injury sustained after scoring in the behind-closed-doors friendly win against Bromley in July. He has been sidelined since then, though was included by Alonso in the group of players that he said could be ready for selection against Brentford. That did not happen in the end, but he is now pushing to be involved against Bournemouth.
Chelsea's back-up goalkeeper went away on international duty with Belgium, but suffered a quad injury in training that saw him omitted from Mark van Bommel's squads to face Italy and France. However, he returned to the bench against Turkey and is expected to back up Manchester United's Senne Lammens once more in Paris on Monday night.
