Moises Caicedo of Chelsea applauds the fans after the Premier League 2026/27 match between Sunderland and Chelsea FC at Stadium of Light
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Sunderland v Chelsea FC - Premier League 2026/27
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Cole Palmer of Chelsea reacts during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Sunderland and Chelsea FC at Stadium of Light
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Sunderland's Brian Brobbey holds off the challenge from Chelsea's Levi Colwill
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Sunderland v Chelsea FC - Premier League 2026/27
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Levi Colwill of Chelsea
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Chelsea FC Training and Press Conference
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Xabi Alonso manager / head coach of Chelsea celebrates with Moises Caicedo and Levi Colwill
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There have been doubts regarding Moises Caicedo’s availability for Chelsea’s clash against Sunderland this afternoon but now, those doubts have eased after Caicedo was spotted this morning.
Earlier in the week, Chelsea hosted an open training session on Wednesday. While Jordan Henderson, Emi Martinez and Aaron Anselmino were all in action, there was no sign of Ecuadorian star Moises Caicedo.
Cole Palmer and three other Chelsea stars snubbed! What do you make of Thomas Tuchel's England squad? 🤔 Morgan Rogers does makes the squad, though.
We did have our best finish since ‘66 - it’s not like we went out in the group
I think this is harsh! We’d all prefer an English manager but I do believe Tuchel likes us a lot
I’m not sure about that. He just doesn’t like Palmer for whatever reason
Caicedo missed the first section of the season through a calf injury, and Xabi Alonso has confirmed that it was Caicedo’s calf that led to his omission from training. But Caicedo then dropped a hint on Instagram.
READ MORE:How close did Chelsea come to signing Sunderland star Granit Xhaka in the summer
Caicedo spotted taking pre-match walk with Chelsea squad
The midfielder posted a pre-match update on his Instagram story, suggesting he would be involved as Chelsea look to win revenge on Sunderland – after it was Sunderland that ended any European hopes.
Now, Chelsea fans can take a collective sigh of relief with Caicedo spotted taking a walk with his Chelsea teammates on Wearside before the Sunderland clash later this afternoon, even walking down some steps.
The likes of Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer – who was on the phone – Marco Palestra, Wesley Fofana, Mike Penders and Teddy Sharman-Lowe are clearly seen, while Caicedo is spotted towards the end of the video.
https://t.co/5fugTYtZvu
— 𝐑𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 (@TheReelVerse) November 8, 2026
Then, Chelsea announced their starting line-up to take on Sunderland. Caicedo was included in the line-up in a new-look 4-3-3 formation, with Romeo Lavia and Jordan Henderson also starting the match.
Chelsea’s other injury concerns ahead of Sunderland
While Caicedo has been included in Chelsea’s starting line-up, it is unclear how long he will last. Jordan Henderson has come in, which is likely, and it sees Alonso pick an eighth different midfield in 13 games.
Chelsea have suffered the second-most amount of injuries so far, only behind Hull City, preventing any kind of consistency Alonso might have wanted. Joao Pedro, Reece James and Maxence Lacroix are injured.
Emi Martinez was expected to be a part of the side, but he is not involved. Mike Penders starts again for Chelsea with Sharman-Lowe on the bench, but the game is too soon for Jamie Gittens and Jorrel Hato.