Chelsea will be missing several key players as they face Liverpool for a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
An increasingly rosy picture for the Blues following back-to-back wins after the extended international break has suddenly turned bleak with Saturday’s abject 2-0 home loss to London rivals Tottenham.
If that was not quite bad enough, Chelsea also saw Cole Palmer sent off late on for two yellow card offences as Tottenham deservedly secured only their second league win at Stamford Bridge in 36 years.
It leaves Alonso in a tricky spot ahead of Wednesday night’s high-profile trip to former home Anfield, which is swiftly followed by a top-flight visit from Manchester United on Saturday lunchtime. With that in mind, here is all the latest Chelsea injury news and return dates.
Joao Pedro
It was a huge surprise not to see Joao Pedro involved for Chelsea against Tottenham, with Morgan Rogers deployed up front as Geovany Quenda was brought into the attack over Danny Welbeck or Estevao.
Alonso confirmed ahead of the game that the Brazilian striker had picked up an injury in training at Cobham on Friday, though he did not specify the exact nature of the issue - only that he had a build-up of fluid that prevented scans from taking place.
Anxious wait: Chelsea have had to be patient before scanning Joao Pedro’s injury
Getty
Asked how bad the latest Joao Pedro injury was after losing to Tottenham, Alonso said: “We don't know yet because he has a lot of fluid.
“He felt it yesterday and we need to wait probably until tomorrow to do the test and to know the whole situation and the whole seriousness of the injury. We will know soon enough.”
Potential return date: Unknown, pending further assessment
Emi Martinez
Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper was hurt during a sickening accidental clash of heads that occurred during the second half of last weekend’s hard-fought 2-0 win at Everton.
He received lengthy treatment on the pitch in concerning scenes and was taken straight to hospital after being stretchered off.
It later emerged that Martinez had required surgery on a fractured jaw and would be sidelined for a number of weeks, leaving deputy Mike Penders to step up.
“Emi is doing better,” Alonso said before the Tottenham game, for which Martinez was present and sat behind the Chelsea bench. “He had the surgery and day by day he is feeling better, but we still need to wait.
“A few weeks. Hopefully, less than more, but we need to wait.
“The good thing is that he is feeling better and we need to listen to his feelings, the opinions of the doctors, the specialists, the surgeons. Considering it was a bad one, he is doing good.”
Potential return date: Mid-November
Recovery: Emi Martinez was looking well as he watched Chelsea play Tottenham
PA
Pep Chavarria
Chavarria had been lining up at left wing-back for Chelsea, though missed out against both Everton and Tottenham due to an unspecified knock sustained in training.
He was a late withdrawal from the squad to face the Toffees, having made the trip to Merseyside and been expected to start again, only to be replaced by Jorrel Hato.
However, the Spaniard has been back in partial team training and should be ready to face either Liverpool or Manchester United this week.
“Pep is training a little bit more, but he is not going to make it [for the Tottenham game],” Alonso said on Friday.
Potential return date: Wednesday October 28, vs Liverpool (A) or Saturday October 31, vs Manchester United (H)
Reece James
Chelsea captain James missed the 3-0 loss at Brentford prior to the international break with another hamstring complaint, ruling him out of England contention in the Nations League.
He then suffered a knee issue on his return to training at Cobham, sitting out the win over Bournemouth before a specialist then recommended surgery as the necessary course of corrective action.
James underwent a successful operation that was described by Chelsea as “minor”, though it is understood that he is not expected back in action for approximately three months.
Levi Colwill and Moises Caicedo have both skippered Chelsea in James’ absence.
Potential return date: Mid-January
Long-term absentee: Reece James is not expected back for Chelsea until January
AFP/Getty
Emmanuel Emegha
New striker Emegha has yet to play a single competitive match for Chelsea due to a hamstring injury suffered after he had scored in back-to-back pre-season friendlies held behind closed doors early in the summer.
He was an unused substitute against Luton in the Carabao Cup second round in August but has not made a matchday squad since despite being spotted in training.
Emegha’s continued absence appeared somewhat of a mystery before Alonso confirmed before the win over Everton that he had experienced a setback at Cobham.
Providing another update on Emegha before the loss to Tottenham, the manager said: “He’s feeling better, but we need to wait.”
Potential return date: Wednesday October 28, vs Liverpool (A) or Saturday October 31, vs Manchester United (H)
Jamie Gittens
Gittens sustained an ankle injury while playing for England’s Under-21s in a 2027 European Championship qualifier against Kazakhstan at Molineux on September 25.
He was seen using crutches after the game and quickly made an early return to Chelsea for assessment and treatment.
Alonso initially put a time frame of “weeks” on Gittens’ recovery, which he repeated prior to the win over Everton last week.
Potential return date: Early November