Xabi Alonso has confirmed that Joao Pedro will miss several weeks of action due to a thigh injury, as the Chelsea boss spoke at Cobham on Tuesday ahead of the Carabao Cup fourth-round clash with Liverpool. The Brazilian forward suffered the injury in training ahead of Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. He had already been absent from the 3-0 defeat at Brentford back in September due to a knee injury.
The 25-year-old has been in fine form this season, scoring five goals and providing three assists in six matches in the top flight, making him the club’s leading scorer in all competitions. He will now miss the trip to Anfield, Saturday’s league clash with Manchester United, and the match against Sunderland on 8 November.
Alonso was unable to give a definitive answer on how long the forward will be out for. He said:
“He has an injury on his thigh and he’s going be out for a few weeks. Let’s see how many. We don’t want to predict on that. But not ready for the next games.
“He’s a key player. We will miss him, but we have to be ready to deal with the injury, and be competitive and try and win with the players we have available. This is the situation.”
Chelsea only created 0.46 expected goals against Tottenham, and just 0.22 of that came in the first half. They only had four shots on target, and Pedro Neto was perhaps their best player. It was also Alonso’s first defeat as manager at home, one that got away from them late, with goalkeeper Mike Penders turning a corner into his own net on 77 minutes and Cole Palmer sent off three minutes later.
Alonso insisted Chelsea must look for answers rather than excuses. He said:
“Yes for sure. This is why you build a squad. It’s a situation that can happen and you need to be looking for solutions, not looking for excuses.”
Solutions start with Emmanuel Emegha. The 23-year-old Netherlands international, signed from Strasbourg in the summer, has recovered from a hamstring injury and is available for selection at Anfield. Danny Welbeck, 35, has started both previous Carabao Cup matches this season and offers the most experienced option. Morgan Rogers, bought from Aston Villa for £117m, led the line in the last game against Spurs and Alonso hasn’t ruled out using him again.
Xabi Alonso Vows To Celebrate If Chelsea Score Against Former Club Liverpool
The match on Wednesday will see Alonso return to Anfield as a visiting manager for the third consecutive season. The 44-year-old made 210 appearances for the Reds between 2004 and 2009, scoring the equaliser in the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul and winning the FA Cup in Cardiff in 2006.
When asked what he would do if the Blues scored, Alonso said:
“Of course, I will celebrate, for sure. With full respect because for sure, my warmth with Liverpool was there as a player. I fight for my club and if we score, I will celebrate with whole respect.”
Alonso was heavily linked with the Liverpool role in 2024 but chose to stay with Bayer Leverkusen. He eventually joined Chelsea on 1 July 2026, having lost during his two previous visits to Anfield as a manager with Leverkusen and Real Madrid.