Chelsea dealt Joao Pedro blow as Henderson nears Sunderland return

Chelsea will be without leading scorer Joao Pedro for several weeks because of a thigh injury, adding to Xabi Alonso’s selection concerns before their trip to Sunderland.

Pedro could return for Chelsea’s home match against Leeds after the November international break, but Alonso confirmed the forward will not be available for the club’s next fixtures.

“He has an injury on his thigh and he’s going be out for a few weeks. Let’s see how many. We don’t want to predict on that. But not ready for the next games,” Alonso said.

The Spaniard added that Pedro’s absence would be significant but insisted Chelsea had to cope with the situation using the players available.

“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.”

Chelsea travel to face the Premier League’s bottom club hoping to build on their 2-0 victory over Manchester United in their previous match.

Morgan Rogers opened the scoring with an impressive individual effort, before Cole Palmer marked his return from suspension by converting a penalty.

Alonso could receive a boost with the potential return of Emi Martinez, who has been recovering from a broken jaw sustained against Everton. The goalkeeper’s rehabilitation has progressed faster than expected, and he could be considered for the Sunderland game while wearing a protective mask.

“Yes, there is a chance. We need to still wait for next week, but let’s see how things go. But there is a chance,” Alonso said.

Mike Penders has deputised in goal during Martinez’s absence.

Jordan Henderson is also expected to return after missing the victory over Manchester United through illness. Alonso said the midfielder had no injury, but had been suffering from a fever and was not well enough to travel with the team.

“He’s ill. There’s no injury, but he was not feeling well yesterday and today had a fever in the morning, so he was not feeling good enough to come with the team,” Alonso explained.

Chelsea will still be without Reece James, whose recent knee surgery is expected to keep him sidelined until mid-January.

Maxence Lacroix is another concern after sustaining a hamstring injury against Liverpool. His absence could also extend into January, which is now being considered as a possible return period.