Arsenal FC v Chelsea FC - Premier League 2026/27
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 06: Xabi Alonso manager / head coach of Chelsea during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Arsenal FC and Chelsea FC at Emirates Stadium on September 06, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Leeds United will be facing a Chelsea side with a handful of key players missing under Xabi Alonso on Wednesday night.
The EFL Cup third round looms this Wednesday for Leeds with a tough test away at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea.
Xabi Alonso has started brightly as Chelsea boss, but was brought back down to size by childhood friend Mikel Arteta and Arsenal on Sunday.
Chelsea injury news v Leeds United: Four ruled out, Levi Colwill available
For Chelsea at the weekend, Alonso was forced into a makeshift midfield that ended up with Reece James and Malo Gusto deputising.
That’s because of injury issues in the middle of the park for the Blues. As Alonso prepares for Leeds, he revealed that £115million man Moises Caicedo will still be missing, as will summer signing Jordan Henderson.
Elsewhere, £47million wing-back Marco Palestra is also ruled out through injury.
“They’re still not ready to go,” Alonso said of Caicedo and Palestra, per Roundtable. “It’s not the moment to take too early a risk. We’ll go game by game with them, but it’s too early.”
The latest team updates from Xabi ahead of Leeds. 🗣️
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 8, 2026
On top of that, £21million striker signing from Strasbourg Emmanuel Emegha is still absent. However, centre-back Levi Colwill is expected to be fit.
“He’s okay for tomorrow,” Alonso said of the defender.
Leeds United may have opportunity to physically dominate Chelsea midfield and defence
The quality of Chelsea’s attacking options goes without saying.
Leeds need to have a standout defensive performance to come away from Stamford Bridge not on the losing side.
Although, the Blues aren’t exactly water-tight at the back. In three league games, they’ve shipped a worrying seven goals – only Crystal Palace (8) have let in more.
That’s because Alonso hasn’t found his best defence or midfield yet. Caicedo would be part of that, so him being absent is ideal for us.
There’s a world where Leeds make this game horrible and scrappy. And, a world where we nick a goal from a set-piece against this suspect aerial setup.