Joao Pedro out for weeks with thigh injury as Chelsea head to Anfield without Palmer

Chelsea will be without Joao Pedro for several weeks after Xabi Alonso confirmed the striker has a thigh injury, a blow that lands on the eve of Wednesday's Carabao Cup trip to Liverpool and with Palmer also suspended.

The forward picked up the problem in training before Tottenham Hotspur's visit to Stamford Bridge, according to the club, and sat out Saturday's 2-0 defeat. Further tests, Chelsea said, confirmed he would spend a period on the sidelines.

"He has an injury in his thigh and he's going to be out for a few weeks," Alonso said. "Let's see how many; we don't want to predict that. But he will not be ready for the next games."

BBC Sport reported that Alonso said Joao Pedro was probably out until after the international break in November.

Why it hurts Chelsea

The timing is awkward, and the numbers explain why. Chelsea said Joao Pedro scored five goals and set up three more in seven matches at the start of the campaign, and ESPN put his Premier League tally at five this season.

The flip side is just as telling. ESPN reported that Chelsea failed to score in both league matches he has missed, against Brentford and Tottenham. Against Spurs, Chelsea pressed Morgan Rogers into service as a makeshift number nine, with Geovany Quenda starting on the left wing, and still drew a blank.

Alonso did not hide what his side is losing. "He is a key player and we will miss him," he said, "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 tomorrow against Liverpool, a cup game."

He added: "Yes for sure. 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 waits for his debut

One of those solutions may be a player Chelsea fans have yet to see in a competitive shirt. Emmanuel Emegha, the 23-year-old signed from sister club Strasbourg in the summer, has recovered from a hamstring injury and is back in contention, the club said. He has not yet made his Chelsea debut.

Alonso confirmed that Emegha, Estevao and Danny Welbeck could all be called upon at Anfield.

The fourth-round tie, which kicks off at 20:00 UTC on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, will also be played without Palmer. He was sent off against Tottenham after collecting two bookings and is suspended for the trip to Merseyside, ESPN reported.

There is at least some certainty in goal. Chelsea confirmed that Mike Penders will start against Liverpool after making his Premier League debut against Tottenham, a match in which the club said he conceded an own goal in the 2-0 loss.