Xabi Alonso has refused to rule Joao Pedro out of Chelsea’s Premier League trip to Brentford on Friday night, despite the forward’s surprise withdrawal from the Brazil squad. Chelsea head coach told reporters on Thursday that no one had been ruled out ahead of one last training session.
On Wednesday, Pedro was released from Carlo Ancelotti’s squad, and Matheus Martinelli was drafted in as his replacement for friendlies against Australia and India. The 24-year-old has been Alonso’s most productive attacker with three goals and three assists in four league appearances for the sixth-placed Blues.
Alonso would not diagnose the nature of the problem despite repeated questioning. He said:
“In terms of injuries and in terms of the squad, we are having the last training session tomorrow so no one is ruled out for us for Friday so I prefer to be cautious and we will wait until tomorrow to take the final decision on every player.”
Alonso also admitted the possibility that the Brazilian can play against Brentford and still not be available for his country. Meanwhile, reports from Brazil revealed that Pedro had already been advised to take a period of recovery for a knee complaint.
Alonso was far more expansive when asked if the forward would be disheartened to miss another international window:
“He has moved on from the summer, from the World Cup. He has shown this desire, this determination to have a great season so far. The summer is far away now.”
The comments are a reference to the notable absence of Pedro from the Brazilian squad for the 2026 World Cup, a tournament in which the Selecao were eliminated in the last-16. He scored 20 goals in 50 appearances for Chelsea last season and has now forced his way back into national reckoning this month.
A look at Chelsea’s attack without Joao Pedro
If the Brazilian is absent, Danny Welbeck is the most likely candidate to lead the line at the Gtech Community Stadium. The veteran has netted three times in 178 minutes this season, though all of those goals came in the EFL Cup rather than the league.
Pedro’s absence would also mean Alonso would lose his most reliable point of contact. He scored a goal and assisted another against Hull City, easily the best Chelsea player on the afternoon.
But that performance also revealed a broader failure. Chelsea had 68% possession of the ball and 36 touches in the opposition box, but only 0.89 expected goals, compared to Hull’s 1.49.