Xabi Alonso will be without start forwards Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer for Wednesday's Carabao Cup clash at Liverpool but has a new striker to call on
Xabi Alonso said Chelsea will look for "solutions, not excuses" after Joao Pedro was ruled out for several weeks with a thigh injury. The striker missed Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Tottenham at Stamford Bridge after picking up the injury in training last week and is set for a spell on the sidelines, beginning with Wednesday's Carabao Cup trip to play Liverpool at Anfield.
There was a boost for Alonso, however, with summer signing Emmanuel Emegha fit to make his debut after recovering from a hamstring problem.
The loss of Pedro though is significant, with Chelsea having struggled for their usual attacking fluency in the two Premier League games he has missed, against Spurs and in September's 3-0 loss to Brentford.
"He has an injury on his thigh and he's going be out for a few weeks," said Alonso. "Let's see how many. We don't want to predict on that. But not ready for the next games.
"He's a key player. We will miss him, but we have to be ready to deal with the injury, and be competitive and try and win with the players we have available. This is the situation."
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Pedro has scored five league goals this season and has been a key part of Chelsea's forward three alongside Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer, but his absence against Spurs and against Brentford seemed to significantly impact the way Rogers and Palmer linked up.
The team have failed to score in either of the league games the Brazilian has missed.
Alonso has Danny Welbeck available for the trip to Merseyside as well as Emegha, with both players able to step in as direct replacements for Pedro.
On Saturday, however, the manager opted to play Morgan Rogers in an unfamiliar number nine position with youngster Geovany Quenda coming in on the left wing.
Alonso believes he has the squad to cope with attacking injuries.
"Yes for sure," he said. "This is why you build a squad. It's a situation that can happen and you need to be looking for solutions, not looking for excuses."
Emegha, who joined from sister club Strasbourg in the summer, has been prevented from making his debut until now but Alonso confirmed the 23-year-old will be in the squad and could play some part at Anfield.
Emegha scored 31 goals in 78 appearances for the Ligue 1 side and made his debut for the the Netherlands in 2025.
"It's important we have him available because he has special qualities," said Alonso. "He's been training in a good way to allow him to build a strong base for his fitness. Maybe tomorrow he has the chance to play."
Palmer will be suspended the for the game at Anfield after his red card for two bookings against Spurs.
"We spoke," said Alonso. "He knows the mistake he made, things that you can avoid. I hope that it's not going to be repeated, and he's aware of that. He's mature and it was a mistake."
