Danny Welbeck will be available for Chelsea's Premier League opener at Fulham on Monday evening, while Enzo Fernandez is expected to start in Xabi Alonso's first competitive game in charge.
The veteran forward, a summer signing from Brighton, had been spotted training individually at Cobham on Friday morning, raising concerns over his fitness. Alonso confirmed in his pre-match press conference on Thursday that Welbeck is fit to feature at Craven Cottage.
Alonso confirms Welbeck availability
"He can be involved," Alonso said. "He needs a couple of days not training too much because of a little thing. We expect him to be back on Saturday."
Alonso also confirmed that players returning late from the World Cup would be available despite a limited pre-season. That includes Fernandez, who remains linked to Manchester City despite Chelsea's self-imposed deadline for clubs to meet their £120million valuation passing without any bids.
Fernandez set to start
Alonso refused to say whether the 25-year-old had personally told him he wanted to stay at the club, but praised the Argentine's attitude since returning to training 10 days ago. "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 said.
Emmanuel Emegha returned to training last week after missing most of pre-season with a hamstring injury, but was not involved in Chelsea's final friendly, a 3-1 win over Real Sociedad. Jordan Henderson also missed that game, recovering from a wrist injury sustained after England's last-16 victory over Mexico in July.
Defensive decisions and predicted XI
Young centre-back Aaron Anselmino is still struggling with a hamstring injury from Chelsea's tour of Australia and Asia. Wesley Fofana is suspended after a red card in last season's final league game at Sunderland.
Alonso is expected to start Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers together for the first time in a competitive game. Rogers scored his first Chelsea goal against Sociedad after a club-record £117m transfer from Aston Villa. Chelsea's large squad has led Alonso to train with two groups, with Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap and Mykhailo Mudryk among those working away from the core squad.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Sanchez; James, Lacroix, Colwill, Hato; Fernandez, Caicedo; Neto, Palmer, Rogers; Joao Pedro
Injured: Anselmino. Doubts: Henderson, Emegha. Suspended: Fofana. Time and date: 8pm BST on Monday August 24, 2026. Venue: Craven Cottage. How to watch: Sky Sports.
