Chelsea
Chelsea are dealing with fresh injury news after Joao Pedro missed Saturday’s derby against Tottenham. The hosts lost 2-0, and the striker now awaits scan results on a knee problem.
Joao Pedro misses Tottenham derby with knee problem
As reported by The Independent, Pedro picked up a knock against Hull and then missed the Brentford game. He then pulled out of the Brazil squad, but he returned in time to score twice against Bournemouth. Pedro played 90 minutes in the win at Everton the week before, so the new problem was hard to predict. Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso made no mention of Pedro at his pre-match press conference on Friday.
Alonso called the news disappointing when he spoke to the media after the final whistle. He said Pedro felt something in training on Friday and now has a lot of fluid around the injury. That build-up made an early diagnosis hard, so Pedro is due to have scans on Sunday. No result has been shared yet, and Alonso only said “we will know soon enough” about the outcome. He added that Chelsea must still“carry on” without their top scorer while they wait for those answers.
Joao Pedro’s 2026/27 stats for Chelsea so far, as per FOTMOB:
Competition Matches Goals Assists Minutes played
Premier League 6 5 3 521
EFL Cup 1 0 0 17
Pedro’s output is hard for Chelsea to replace
Joao Pedro has scored five goals and made three assists in six Premier League games this season. That means he has had a hand in eight goals, and he is Chelsea’s top scorer. Last season he finished with 20 goals and 5 assists in all competitions, so his form is no short-term spike. Chelsea scored twice with him at Everton and then failed to score without him against Tottenham. He had scored three goals in his last three appearances before the derby, so the timing hurt even more.
Spurs scored through a Mike Penders own goal in the 77th minute and a Mathys Tel strike in the 87th. Cole Palmer was sent off in the 80th minute, which left Chelsea with ten men for the final stretch. It was Chelsea’s first home defeat to Tottenham since 2018, which ended a long run at Stamford Bridge. Danny Welbeck did not come on until the 88th minute, when Chelsea were already 2-0 down.
Chelsea
Tactical impact of missing a key striker
Alonso started Morgan Rogers as the central striker, with Cole Palmer and Geovany Quenda in support. Rogers managed one shot and won only three of 17 duels, so the role looked hard without a natural striker. Pedro usually links play and pulls defenders away, which gives Palmer more room to attack the box. Alonso’s best answer may be a natural striker in the line-up, since Rogers is more useful in a deeper role.
The goalkeeper problem adds to the pressure, because Emiliano Martinez is out after surgery on a fractured jaw. He was hurt in a collision with Jarrad Branthwaite at Everton, which is why Mike Penders started in goal. Alonso said Martinez is feeling better, though he expects a wait of “a few weeks” and hopes for less. Chelsea now face a tough week of football, starting with Liverpool away in the EFL Cup on Wednesday. Cole Palmer is banned for that game, and Manchester United visit in the Premier League on 31 October.