Chelsea could be without as many as eight first-team players for their next Premier League fixture against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on October 10. A number of the injuries are thought to be minor, but some squad members may face extended absences.
Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer
Joao Pedro is on the comeback trail after a knee injury ruled him out of Chelsea's 3-0 loss to Brentford before the international break. He picked up the issue during the 2-2 draw with Hull the weekend prior. Xabi Alonso suggested before the Brentford trip that he might face a late fitness test, but the Brazilian did not travel and subsequently pulled out of international duty. Standard Sport exclusively revealed this week that Joao Pedro has been seeing a specialist in London during the break. It is hoped he will be fit to return against Bournemouth.
Cole Palmer has shaken off the groin injury that plagued him for much of last season but has been struck down with another minor muscular problem. That forced him to withdraw from England duty, much to Thomas Tuchel's frustration. Chelsea are looking to manage his workload during the break to avoid a repeat of last season's woes.
Moises Caicedo and Reece James
Moises Caicedo has managed just 14 minutes of competitive football this season due to a calf injury suffered in pre-season. He missed the first two matches before returning off the bench against Brighton but was forced off again after less than 15 minutes. Alonso later apologised for rushing him back. He was close to a comeback before the Brentford match but Alonso chose not to risk him.
Reece James has suffered a hamstring injury and has not featured since the match at Hull, missing training and the trip to Brentford. Tuchel confirmed injury was behind his exclusion from the England squad. Alonso said before the Brentford match: "He had a little injury in his hamstring. He tried, we waited until this morning but he couldn't make it. Now we have enough time to prepare for the next one. He was just short of recovering."
Palestra, Emegha, Penders and Gittens
Summer signing Marco Palestra is yet to make his debut after picking up a quad injury in August, which Alonso says has left the player frustrated. He was pictured in full first-team training this week alongside Levi Colwill and Danny Welbeck. Emmanuel Emegha, who signed from Strasbourg, has been sidelined since suffering a hamstring injury in August but has returned to training.
There is concern around goalkeeper Mike Penders after he picked up a quad injury on Belgium duty and was left out of the squad for the match against France, though he has not withdrawn from the squad. Jamie Gittens took a kick to the ankle while representing England's Under-21s against Kazakhstan and left the stadium on crutches wearing a protective boot. He has returned to Cobham for further assessments, with no update yet offered on his condition.
