Chelsea will be without several key players as they look to add to Michael Carrick and Manchester United's troubles in the Premier League's lunchtime kick-off on Saturday.
The Blues were eliminated from the Carabao Cup by Liverpool on Wednesday night following a dramatic penalty shootout, and they picked up a fresh injury concern in that match as Maxence Lacroix was forced off before the break.
Joao Pedro continued his absence after joining the likes of Emi Martinez, Reece James and Jamie Gittens in the treatment room. The good news for Chelsea supporters is that Cole Palmer has now served a one-match suspension received for his red card against Tottenham.
Joao Pedro and Emi Martinez
A thigh issue is set to keep Joao Pedro on the sidelines for a “few weeks”, indicating a return after the November international break. The Brazilian picked up the injury during training ahead of the Tottenham game, leading Xabi Alonso to use Morgan Rogers as a makeshift striker as the Blues fell to a 2-0 defeat.
It is not the first injury Joao Pedro has had to endure this season, with a knee problem preventing the striker from facing Brentford last month. The 25-year-old went to see a specialist during the last international break.
Prior to the Liverpool game, Alonso issued an update and 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.”
After the Spurs loss, Alonso said: “We don't know yet because he has a lot of fluid. He felt it yesterday and we need to wait probably until tomorrow to do the test and to know the whole situation and the whole seriousness of the injury. We will know soon enough.”
Potential return date: Saturday November 21, vs Leeds (H)
Chelsea were without Martinez against Spurs, with back-up goalkeeper Mike Penders scoring a nightmare own goal on his first Premier League start. Penders had to come off the bench at Everton the weekend prior to replace Martinez after a sickening collision left the Argentine with a fractured jaw. Martinez remains sidelined for multiple weeks after undergoing surgery.
Alonso said before the Tottenham game: “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. The good thing is that he is feeling better and we need to listen to his feelings, the opinions of the doctors, the specialists, the surgeons. Considering it was a bad one, he is doing good.”
Martinez was spotted in good spirits at Stamford Bridge on Saturday as he watched his team-mates face Tottenham.
Potential return date: Mid-November
Pep Chavarria, Maxence Lacroix and Reece James
It was hoped that Chavarria would be involved in Wednesday night’s cup clash with Liverpool after the wing-back sustained an injury in training a few weeks ago. A late withdrawal from the matchday squad that travelled to Everton two weekends ago, the Spaniard has returned to some level of team training.
“Pep is training a little bit more, but he is not going to make it [for the Tottenham game],” Alonso said prior to last weekend.
Potential return date: Saturday October 31, vs Manchester United (H)
Maxence Lacroix has been a mainstay for Chelsea this season and got the nod against Liverpool, but could not complete the first half. He pulled up after tracking Cody Gakpo and was promptly forced off, bearing a concerned expression.
Speaking at full-time, Alonso said: “Too early to tell. Probably he felt something on the hamstrings. And we need a couple of days to check what's going to be the injury.”
Potential return date: Unknown
James has been sidelined with a knee issue, making the defender one of Chelsea’s long-term absentees. There was initial concern over another hamstring issue suffered just before the international break, preventing James from going on international duty with England.
When the Blues captain returned to training at Cobham, he picked up a knee injury. First viewed as a short-term problem, with James missing the emphatic win over Bournemouth, a specialist then recommended surgery as the best option. Chelsea described the surgery as “minor”, but it is understood that James will remain unavailable to Alonso for approximately three months.
Fellow academy graduate Levi Colwill and midfielder Moises Caicedo have each worn the captain’s armband in James’ absence.
Potential return date: Mid-January
Jamie Gittens
Gittens picked up an ankle injury while on international duty with England’s Under-21s. Shortly after the European Championship qualifier against Kazakhstan, he was spotted using crutches at Molineux.
After assessment back at Cobham, Alonso provided a timeline of “weeks” for Gittens’ return - repeating the prognosis prior to the victory over Everton.
Potential return date: Early November
