Alonso hands Quenda full Premier League debut as Joao Pedro ruled out against Spurs

Joao Pedro has been ruled out of Chelsea’s Premier League fixture against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, with Xabi Alonso confirming the striker is carrying an injury that is still being assessed ahead of kick-off at Stamford Bridge.

The 25-year-old, who has scored five goals this season, was deemed unfit to feature against Spurs. Alonso offered a brief update on the nature of the problem: “At the moment he has some liquid, so we have to do some tests to know how big the injury is. It’s disappointing, but we need to carry on.”

In Pedro’s absence, Alonso has handed Geovany Quenda a full Premier League debut. The Portuguese winger arrived from Sporting CP in a £40 million move this summer but had managed just 28 minutes of top-flight football prior to this fixture.

The only other change from the side that beat Everton last weekend sees Mike Penders replace Emi Martinez in goal. Martinez underwent surgery on a fractured jaw sustained in a collision at the Hill Dickinson Stadium and faces a spell on the sidelines.

Josh Acheampong keeps his place in defence alongside Maxence Lacroix and Levi Colwill. Last weekend’s match-winner Pedro Neto is set to operate on the right flank, with Jorrel Hato on the opposite side. Jordan Henderson and Moises Caicedo complete the midfield, while Cole Palmer is expected to start alongside Morgan Rogers, who appears set to fill in as a makeshift number nine.

For Tottenham, Roberto De Zerbi has made two changes from the side that defeated Coventry City on Monday. Mathys Tel and Mateus Fernandes come in to replace Tosin Adarabioyo and Dominic Solanke.