Chelsea and Liverpool both head into their respective Premier League fixtures this weekend with selection headaches, as injury concerns continue to shape team news across the division.
At Stamford Bridge, Xabi Alonso will be without four players when Chelsea host Hull City on Saturday at 3pm. The most significant absence is Moises Caicedo, whose start to the season has been disrupted by a calf problem. The Ecuador international made a brief return from the bench against former club Brighton and Hove Albion a fortnight ago but lasted only 14 minutes before the issue resurfaced. He subsequently missed the 2-1 defeat at Arsenal and the 6-3 win over Leeds United. Alonso confirmed on Friday that Caicedo would sit out the Hull clash too, with the manager instead targeting next week's trip to Brentford as a more realistic timeline for his return.
Chelsea's other absentees are all summer arrivals. Marco Palestra is still waiting for his competitive debut after picking up a knock in pre-season training, while Jordan Henderson has yet to feature for his new club following a wrist fracture sustained during England's World Cup celebrations after their win over Mexico. Emmanuel Emegha, who joined from sister club Strasbourg, remains sidelined with a hamstring injury suffered in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Bromley.
With those four unavailable, Alonso's selection for Hull looks relatively straightforward. Emiliano Martinez is set to return in goal after Mike Penders' cup outing, and the manager appears likely to revert to a 3-4-2-1 formation having experimented with a 4-3-3 in midweek that saw Chelsea fall 2-0 behind before recovering to beat Leeds 6-3. Levi Colwill, who left the pitch quickly after being substituted against Leeds, was confirmed by Alonso as not injured and should return alongside Maxence Lacroix, with Josh Acheampong competing with Wesley Fofana for the remaining centre-back spot. Pedro Neto, fresh off signing a new contract and scoring off the bench in midweek, is expected to continue at right wing-back, with Jorrel Hato holding down the left-sided role. Reece James is set for a midfield return alongside Romeo Lavia, while Joao Pedro, the Premier League's player of the month, should again be flanked by Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers in attack.
Elsewhere, Liverpool are assessing the fitness of Cody Gakpo ahead of their meeting with Fulham on Saturday. The Dutch forward missed Wednesday's Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid because of adductor discomfort felt on both sides following last week's 2-1 win at Ipswich, where he set up all three of Alexander Isak's goals. Manager Andoni Iraola said the club would monitor Gakpo through Friday's training session to determine his availability, telling reporters: "Cody we will see. We will try today and see if he is ready for tomorrow or if we need to wait until the next one."
Gakpo's absence in midweek allowed Bradley Barcola to make his first start since his move from Paris Saint-Germain, and the winger impressed before being withdrawn late on due to cramp. Iraola clarified that Barcola's withdrawal was not injury-related, stating: "Barcola was just cramps. We have to evaluate how he is today, but there is no injury. I think he should be available if everything goes normal."
Liverpool remain unbeaten in Iraola's first four matches in charge, having followed up victories over Ipswich and Atletico Madrid, though the manager believes there is room for improvement, particularly in game management. "The team has goals in it," Iraola said. "In all of the games we have been dangerous and created chances, we have scored two [in the last two] and could have scored more. Now it's about being more efficient." He added that improving how his side starts matches remains a priority, saying he wants Liverpool to "impose ourselves from the beginning."
Based on reporting from standard-football and independent-football.