Joao Pedro will be sidelined for “a few weeks” because of a thigh injury, Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has confirmed ahead of Wednesday’s EFL Cup last-16 tie against Liverpool.
The Brazilian has been Chelsea’s outstanding player this season, contributing five goals and three assists in six Premier League matches.
Only Erling Haaland, with nine goals, and Alexander Isak, with six, have scored more than Joao Pedro in the English top flight this term. Haaland is the only player to have been directly involved in more goals, with nine.
Joao Pedro missed Chelsea’s defeat by Tottenham at the weekend, and Alonso has now provided an update on the injury.
“He has an injury in his thigh and he’s going to be out for a few weeks,” said Alonso.
“Let’s see how many; we don’t want to predict that. But he will not be ready for the next games.
“He is a key player and we will miss him, but we have to be ready to deal with the injury, be competitive and try to win games with the players we have available, starting against Liverpool, a cup game.
“This is the situation and we are ready to fight for it and prove we can show a good level.”
Liverpool and Chelsea have met in the final of the EFL Cup in each of their past two meetings in the competition. Liverpool won both finals on penalties, lifting the trophy in 2021-22 and 2023-24.
Chelsea’s EFL Cup matches have produced more goals than those of any other side across the past two seasons, with 31 in total. They have scored 19 and conceded 12.
Their third-round match against Leeds United this season produced nine goals, as Chelsea recovered from 2-0 down to win 6-3.
Alonso used Morgan Rogers as a central striker against Tottenham, but could select another option at Anfield. Summer signing Emmanuel Emegha is a possible candidate to make his Chelsea debut.
“For sure it’s important that we have him available because he has special qualities,” Alonso said of Emegha.
“He needs to feel fully fit. He has been training for the last two weeks, ten days, in a good way that has allowed him to build a strong base of fitness.”
Alonso said Chelsea had also worked on using Rogers in a position close to Cole Palmer, while stressing that he would consider all available options before selecting his team.
“We tried with Morgan playing close to Cole [Palmer], and sometimes we need to be creative and try a few things to see if they are going to work well,” he added.
“I assess all the possibilities we have and what we have been preparing during the week, and with the qualities all players have, to choose the best team for each game. That was the case for Saturday and that is the case for Wednesday.”
