Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso faces a nervous wait over the fitness of Moises Caicedo as his side prepare to host Brighton at Stamford Bridge on Sunday in the Premier League.
Caicedo has been absent since picking up an injury in training last week, causing him to miss Chelsea's recent victories over Fulham and Luton Town. Speaking ahead of the Brighton fixture, Alonso offered a cautiously optimistic update on the midfielder's condition.
"He is hopefully training [on Friday]. We are hopeful he can be involved. We are still checking; no decision made," Alonso said.
The Chelsea boss will also assess the availability of Levi Colwill and Geovany Quenda, both of whom were left out of the matchday squad for Thursday's 2-0 win over Luton. Alonso played down concerns about the pair, insisting there were "no issues" and that their absence was simply a precautionary measure.
"Our plan is that they are training [Friday] preparing for Sunday," Alonso explained. "With Levi, we know three games in a week after the injury, missing a period, he needs to take the right steps. We don't want to push him too much. So he feels comfortable."
Elsewhere, there is uncertainty over the goalkeeping situation, with question marks surrounding whether Enzo Fernandez or Robert Sanchez will feature. Alonso revealed he has already made a decision on who will start between the posts against Brighton but chose to keep the identity of his selection under wraps.
In more positive news for Chelsea, Cole Palmer appears to be in good shape physically after playing all 90 minutes in the win over Luton, a decision that raised some eyebrows given the packed fixture schedule. However, Alonso dismissed any notion that Palmer's involvement against Luton signals a rest for the England international against Brighton. Palmer is expected to continue in Chelsea's front three, lining up alongside Morgan Rogers and Joao Pedro as the attacking trio continues to develop cohesion under the new manager.
In midfield, Alonso has a healthy set of options to choose from, with Reece James, Valentin Barco, Romeo Lavia, and potentially Caicedo all in contention for places.
There was also welcome news on the defensive front, as Wesley Fofana returns from suspension and is available for competitive selection for the first time this season. The Frenchman had been sidelined for the last two matches following a red card he received during the final day of last season's fixture at Sunderland.
Young defender Josh Acheampong is also set to be included in the matchday squad, according to Alonso, offering further depth to Chelsea's backline options.
On the injury front, Jordan Henderson and Marco Palestra remain unavailable and continue their respective recovery processes.
Based on the team news, Chelsea's potential lineup for the clash could see a 3-4-2-1 formation featuring Penders in goal, a back three of Fofana, Lacroix and Acheampong, with Gusto, Caicedo, James and Chavarria across midfield, supporting Palmer and Rogers just behind lone striker Joao Pedro.
The match kicks off at 2pm BST on Sunday, August 30, at Stamford Bridge, with live coverage available on Sky Sports.
Based on reporting from Standard Football.