Chelsea striker Joao Pedro is a major injury doubt for tonight’s Premier League clash against Brentford.
The Brazilian FA announced on Wednesday that Joao Pedro had withdrawn from Carlo Ancelotti’s squad for the upcoming international window due to injury.
Xabi Alonso was then expected to confirm in his pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon if Joao Pedro would be part of Chelsea’s squad against Brentford.
With the Blues training at Cobham on this morning, though, Alonso said that Joao Pedro would continue to be assessed, alongside Moises Caicedo and Reece James.
“We will see tomorrow if he's ready to play and we will make a decision,” Alonso said when asked for an update on Joao Pedro’s fitness on Thursday.
Caicedo has not played since he was forced off injured 13 minutes after coming on to make a short-lived first appearance of the season during Chelsea’s 4-3 win over Brighton last month.
Captain James, meanwhile, was not pictured in training on Tuesday, albeit the media only had access to the first 15 minutes of the session.
Marco Palestra, Jordan Henderson and Emmanuel Emegha will all also be assessed, with Alonso keen to keep Chelsea’s matchday squad under wraps.
Last week, Alonso said that he hoped to have all three of Chelsea’s summer signings available to make their competitive debuts against Brentford.
After drawing 2-2 at home to newly-promoted Hull last weekend, Alonso will be looking to shore up his defence, with the Blues having conceded 12 goals in just six games across all competitions this season.
The Spaniard reverted to a four-man defence against Hull, but could shift back to his favoured 3-4-2-1 formation to try to help Chelsea defend Brentford’s pace out wide.
There are also decisions to make in midfield, with Alonso struggling to settle on a double pivot combination he can trust in the absence of Caicedo.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Martinez; Fofana, Lacroix, Colwill; Neto, Gusto, Lavia, Hato; Palmer, Welbeck, Rogers
Doubts: Joao Pedro, Caicedo, James, Palestra, Henderson, Emegha
Time and date: 8pm BST on Friday September 18, 2026
Venue: Gtech Community Stadium
How to watch: Sky Sports
