Danny Welbeck is fit for Chelsea's Premier League opener at Fulham tonight, while Enzo Fernandez has been named to the bench. Moises Caicedo is left out altogether.
Welbeck availability confirmed
Welbeck had been spotted training individually at Cobham on Friday morning, raising concerns that he may be an injury doubt for Xabi Alonso's first competitive game in charge. The veteran forward, a summer signing from Brighton, has been managing a small unspecified issue, but Alonso has confirmed that he will be available for selection at Craven Cottage.
"He can be involved," Alonso said in his pre-match press conference on Thursday. "He needs a couple of days not training too much because of a little thing. We expect him to be back on Saturday."
Fernandez named on bench
Alonso also confirmed that those who had returned late following the World Cup would be available for selection despite a limited pre-season. That includes wantaway midfielder Fernandez, who remains heavily linked to Manchester City despite Chelsea's self-imposed deadline for clubs to meet their £120million valuation passing without any bids.
On Fernandez, Alonso refused to say whether the 25-year-old had personally told him that he wanted to stay at the club. However, he did go on to praise the Argentine's attitude since returning to training 10 days ago and said he would be ready to play against Fulham.
"Enzo is a Chelsea player. He is a top, top player. He's training really well since he started 10 days ago with the team, very integrated, and we are happy with him, and he's getting ready for Monday," Alonso continued.
Team news and absentees
Wesley Fofana is suspended after he picked up a red card in the final league game of last season away to Sunderland. The likes of Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap and Mykhailo Mudryk are part of the second group training away from Alonso's core squad members, and are left out.
Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Acheampong, Lacroix, Colwill; Gusto, James, Lavia, Hato; Palmer, Rogers; Joao Pedro
Subs: Penders, Chavarria, Barco, Enzo Fernandez, Estevao, Gittens, Neto, Quenda, Welbeck
Time and date: 8pm BST on Monday August 24, 2026. Venue: Craven Cottage. How to watch: Sky Sports.
