Xabi Alonso confirms Joao Pedro faces weeks out with thigh injury ahead of Liverpool cup tie

Xabi Alonso has confirmed that Chelsea forward Joao Pedro will be sidelined for “a few weeks” after sustaining a thigh injury, leaving the club short of attacking options ahead of their Carabao Cup fourth-round tie at Liverpool.

The Brazilian, who has scored five goals and registered three assists in the Premier League this season, missed Chelsea’s defeat to Tottenham at the weekend after being left out of the matchday squad. Alonso revealed that Joao Pedro felt something in training and had “a lot of fluid” in his thigh, with the club conducting further assessments to determine the full extent of the problem.

“He has an injury on his thigh,” Alonso said. “He will be a few weeks out. Let’s see how many. We don’t want to predict on that. He’s a key player. We will miss him. But we have to be ready to deal with the injury and be competitive and win games with the players we have available. This is the situation.”

The news compounds a difficult period for Chelsea, who must also cope without Cole Palmer following his red card. Joao Pedro had already missed the club’s match against Brentford before the September international break due to a knee injury, withdrawing from Brazil duty as a result. He returned to score twice against Bournemouth and played the full 90 minutes against Everton in early October before his latest setback.

Morgan Rogers led the line against Spurs but made little impression, and Alonso may now turn to 35-year-old summer signing Danny Welbeck, who has started both of Chelsea’s previous Carabao Cup ties this season. Young forward Estevao is also in contention for more minutes as the squad adapts to the absences.

“They are in the squad so every player in the squad can play,” Alonso added, suggesting he has options even if they are not his preferred ones.