Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has announced that Jorrel Hato, Maxence Lacroix, and Joao Pedro will not play on Sunday against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
The Blues are heading to Wearside, aiming to follow up their win over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in their last league game.
In his pre-match press conference on Friday, Alonso said the three players will be checked during the international break as they recover from injuries.
On Hato’s injury, Alonso said the defender is still weeks away from playing again.
“He isn’t fit yet. It will take some more weeks. Not yet to be close, maybe after the international break, but it’s going to take longer,” Alonso said.
He mentioned that the club will give a clearer update on the injured players before their next match against Leeds United.
“After these two weeks of the international break, we will see how their recovery is and the progress they make. For sure, ahead of the Leeds game, I will have more of an update. But not today,” he stated.
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez might return to the team after recovering from a jaw injury that needed surgery after Chelsea’s win over Everton.
The Argentine has started training this week with protective headgear, but Alonso said they will decide on his fitness after Saturday’s training at Cobham.
“Tomorrow we have our last training session before Sunday and we will decide [if he is fit]. But he is training well,” the manager said.
Martinez’s possible return could create a selection problem for Alonso, as Mike Penders has started in goal for Chelsea’s last three matches.
“It’s very good that Emi has made a great effort to be back and is ahead of the plan to be part of the team. So, tomorrow we will check and then on Sunday we will take the final decision,” Alonso added.
The Chelsea boss also gave an update on midfielder Moises Caicedo, who missed training earlier this week due to discomfort after the last match.
“He had little problems after the last game, so we expect to check tomorrow on different situations and Moi is one of them. It’s a discomfort, more than his calf,” he explained.
Chelsea will play Sunderland on Sunday, with Alonso hoping to have both Martinez and Caicedo ready as the Blues aim for another Premier League win.
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