Joao Pedro has been ruled out of Chelsea's squad for Saturday evening's Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur after picking up an injury that is currently being assessed. The 25-year-old striker, who has scored five goals this season, has been deemed not fit enough to feature against Spurs.
Quenda handed full debut
Xabi Alonso has raised eyebrows by handing Geovany Quenda a full Premier League debut in his place. The Portuguese winger has been limited to just 28 minutes in the English top flight since arriving from Sporting CP in a £40million move this summer.
Speaking about Pedro's absence ahead of kick-off, Alonso explained: "At the moment has some liquid, so we have to do some tests to know how big the injury is. It's disappointing, but we need to carry on."
Team changes for Chelsea and Tottenham
In the only other change from the side that saw victory against Everton last weekend, Mike Penders has stepped in for the injured Emi Martinez. Martinez came through successful surgery on a fractured jaw last weekend following a collision at the Hill Dickinson Stadium and faces a period on the sidelines.
Josh Acheampong retains his spot in defence, alongside Maxence Lacroix and Levi Colwill. Last weekend's match-winner Pedro Neto is set to operate on the right, with Jorrel Hato lining up on the opposite flank.
Jordan Henderson and Moises Caicedo complete the Chelsea midfield. Cole Palmer is expected to start to the right of Morgan Rogers, who appears set to fill in as a makeshift No. 9 at Stamford Bridge.
Meanwhile, Roberto De Zerbi has made two changes to the Tottenham side that defeated Coventry City on Monday night. Mathys Tel and Mateus Fernandes have been rolled out in place of Tosin Adarabioyo and Dominic Solanke.
