Chelsea rocked by Joao Pedro injury blow ahead of Liverpool and Man Utd games

Chelsea have been handed a major injury blow with Joao Pedro sidelined for a number of weeks with a thigh injury.

The Brazil international was a shock absentee last Saturday with Chelsea struggling in his absence against Tottenham, beaten 2-0 on their own patch by their London rivals.

Chelsea take on Liverpool in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday night before hosting Manchester United in Premier League action.

Pedro is set to miss both games with Xabi Alonso confirming his star striker is facing a spell on the sidelines.

‘He has an injury of his thigh and is going to be out for a few weeks. Let’s see how many. He’s not ready for the next games,’ Alonso told a press conference on Tuesday.

‘He’s a key player. We’ll miss him. We have to be ready to deal with the injury, starting tomorrow with Liverpool.’

Pedro has five goals and three assists in seven appearances this season, leading Alonso’s attack ahead of Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers.

The Blues boss tweaked his set-up in Pedro’s absence against Spurs, choosing to start Geovany Quenda ahead of Danny Welbeck.

The former Brighton star came on for the final minutes with defeat already looming.

‘I assess all the options we have, what we have been preparing all the week, to choose the best team for each game,’ Alonso said on his decision to not start Welbeck at the weekend despite Pedro’s absense.

‘That was the case on Saturday and that is the case tomorrow.’