Chelsea will be without their leading scorer when Manchester United arrive at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Head coach Xabi Alonso has confirmed that João Pedro has a thigh problem picked up in training on Friday, and that the forward is not available for the matches immediately in front of Chelsea.
The 25-year-old had already been missing when Chelsea were beaten 2-0 by Tottenham at home on Saturday. Alonso now expects him to also sit out the Carabao Cup fourth-round tie away to Liverpool on Wednesday, Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Manchester United, and the trip to Sunderland on 8 November.
Alonso: “a few weeks”
Speaking to reporters before the Liverpool cup tie, Alonso said João Pedro’s thigh problem is still being assessed.
“He has an injury to his thigh and he is going to be out for a few weeks. Let’s see how many. We don’t want to predict on that, but he is not ready for the next games,” the Spaniard told the media.
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Alonso added that there is swelling in the area and that Chelsea’s medical staff still need to measure the extent of the damage.
The Brazil international is Chelsea’s top goalscorer this season, and his absence leaves Alonso short of a natural number nine for one of the biggest fixtures on the Premier League calendar. Cole Palmer is suspended for the United game, further thinning the attacking options.
United arrive with Carrick clinging on
Manchester United travel to west London on the back of a 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth, a result that extended their winless run to eight matches. There had been widespread reports that head coach Michael Carrick would be dismissed before the Chelsea trip, but the club decided otherwise on Tuesday.
After high-level talks involving chief executive Omar Berrada, director of football Jason Wilcox and the ownership, United announced that Carrick would remain in charge, with Stamford Bridge now framed as the next test of a response. Carrick arrived at the training ground at his usual time on Tuesday morning.
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The pre-match context tilts the fixture in an unusual direction. Chelsea, who sit above United in the table, are the side with the mounting injury list, while a visiting United manager under heavy scrutiny has been handed one of the Premier League’s most-watched afternoons as his chance to shift the mood.
Kick-off at 12:30pm, no return date set
Kick-off is at 12:30pm local time at Stamford Bridge on Saturday 31 October. Beyond this weekend, Alonso has not committed to a return date for João Pedro, saying only that it will depend on scans. The next Chelsea match after Sunderland is a Champions League fixture, and the club will not confirm a comeback until the swelling has subsided and further imaging has been done.
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