Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso says they will make a final decision on Moises Caicedo’s fitness on Saturday. This leaves the Ecuadorian midfielder uncertain for Sunday’s London derby against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
Caicedo missed Chelsea’s first two matches of the season against Fulham and Luton Town. He returned to the squad for last weekend’s game against Brighton and Hove Albion. But his comeback lasted only 13 minutes. He came on as a second-half substitute but had to come off again due to an issue Alonso called “wasn’t something new.”
Speaking before Sunday’s match in a club statement on Friday, Alonso said Chelsea would wait until their last training session before deciding if Caicedo will play. “We will check tomorrow. Tomorrow is the last decision for the squad on Sunday,” Alonso said. “We need to not be worried. These things can happen and we need to check. Tomorrow we will make the final decision.”
Caicedo’s fitness is important for Chelsea as Alonso prepares for his first match against Arsenal since taking over at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is also facing some fitness issues within his squad.
Arteta said on Friday that Bruno is being assessed after he got hurt against Aston Villa. Cristhian Mosquera’s status will also be decided after training on Saturday. Jurrien Timber is back in full training, and Ezri Konsa is available. William Saliba, however, is still out. Arteta admitted they do not know how many weeks Saliba will miss. “We don’t really know the amount of weeks he’s going to be out because it’s about a healing process and everything is a bit different, we know we have to respect certain timings,” Arteta said. “The progression has been really positive in the last few weeks, but we need to wait and see how that one reacts when we start to put some load into it.”
While Caicedo's situation is unclear, Alonso gave a hopeful update on another Chelsea player, Emmanuel Emegha. The Netherlands international joined Chelsea from Strasbourg in the summer but has not played yet due to an injury from pre-season. Alonso thinks the striker can be a big attacking option once he is fit. “I see him playing on the last line, and when he has space he is a big threat,” Alonso said. “He has been here for a few months and had an injury that meant he missed part of pre-season, unfortunately for him. But he’s young, and he has very special qualities.”
Alonso added that Emegha needs to be patient as he works to get into the team. “We hope that he feels better and he takes those steps so that he’s going to be more involved. Players that are young and come here need to be patient, but knowing that for sure they will have their opportunity.”
The fitness worries come as both London rivals prepare for a match that will see Alonso face Arteta, his former colleague and friend. Arteta said he spoke to Alonso before he took the Chelsea job. He described their meeting at the top level of English football as a “really beautiful thing to experience.” “I spoke to him before that. But yes, really happy for him, as I said. It’s incredible because obviously we have the history that we have together, the same with Andoni [Iraola] and to be facing each other at such a level and with the responsibility we have managing some of the top clubs in the country is a really beautiful thing to experience,” Arteta said.
Arsenal will host Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Both managers will make their final decisions on key fitness doubts after Saturday’s training session.
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