Chelsea Handed Huge Joao Pedro Blow As Xabi Alonso Confirms Major Injury Setback Ahead Of Liverpool Tie
Joao Pedro is expected to be out for a "few weeks" and will miss Chelsea's Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool.
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Xabi Alonso has ruled Joao Pedro out of Chelsea's Carabao Cup clash with Liverpool and provided an update on the striker's injury.
After a disappointing 2-0 loss to London rivals Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, Chelsea will hope to bounce back with a win against Liverpool on Wednesday.
Obviously, it is no easy task. Liverpool are on a roll after picking up their fourth consecutive win with a 2-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at the weekend. The Reds will also have the home advantage for the Carabao Cup tie.
Chelsea will be without their ace Cole Palmer, who will serve a suspension carried over from his dismissal against Spurs. His absence is a big blow, of course, since having him on the bench would have given Chelsea a lot more confidence for the tie.
Unfortunately, Alonso also confirmed that Joao Pedro, whose presence was sorely missed in the derby, will remain sidelined against Liverpool.
“He has an injury of his thigh,” Alonso confirmed in Tuesday’s press conference when asked about Joao Pedro’s injury update.
“He’s going to be out for a few weeks. Let’s see how many. He’s not ready for the next games.
“Of course, he’s a key player. We’ll miss him. We have to be ready to deal with the injury, starting tomorrow with Liverpool.”
Based on Alonso’s comment, Joao Pedro will likely miss both Liverpool and Manchester United this week. That said, the fact that he is not struggling with another knee injury is at least positive news.
Chelsea and Liverpool expected to field weakened sides
Alonso insisted that Chelsea had built a squad that could cope with Joao Pedro’s injury, but the numbers have not shown promising signs.
Chelsea lost the two Premier League games the Brazil international missed, against Brentford and Spurs, and they fired blanks on both occasions.
The Blues managed to secure a 6-3 comeback win over Leeds United in the third round of the Carabao Cup with Joao Pedro unused on the bench, but it took outstanding displays from Palmer, Morgan Rogers, and Danny Welbeck to secure the turnaround.
Alonso opted to start Palmer and Rogers as a front two against Spurs despite having Welbeck on the bench. It did not work out as well as expected, so the Spaniard may give the veteran striker the nod to start against Liverpool.
Liverpool kept a clean sheet against Brighton, but they have also conceded 10 goals in the last five games. So, Chelsea should be able to find cracks in their defence, even without their star striker.
Chelsea are also expected to field a rotated side against Liverpool, especially since Alonso will also have to keep Saturday’s home fixture against Manchester United in mind. Key players such as Rogers, Moises Caicedo, and Levi Colwill may be rotated out.
Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola also hinted at his rotation plans in his press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
“There will definitely be changes, but we want to win the game. We want to be competitive,” he explained.
“We need to see where the legs are and make some changes game-to-game because it's almost mandatory.”