Chelsea XI vs Brentford: Starting lineup, confirmed team news, injury latest for Premier League today

Blues sweating on Joao Pedro’s fitness for west London derby showdown

Joao Pedro and Reece James have both been left out of the Chelsea squad for tonight’s match away at Brentford.

The Brazilian FA announced on Wednesday that Joao Pedro had withdrawn from Carlo Ancelotti’s squad for the upcoming international window due to injury.

With the Blues training at Cobham on this morning, though, Alonso said that Joao Pedro would continue to be assessed, alongside Moises Caicedo and Reece James.

“We will see tomorrow if he's ready to play and we will make a decision,” Alonso said when asked for an update on Joao Pedro’s fitness on Thursday.

Caicedo has not played since he was forced off injured 13 minutes after coming on to make a short-lived first appearance of the season during Chelsea’s 4-3 win over Brighton last month.

Captain James, meanwhile, was not pictured in training on Tuesday, albeit the media only had access to the first 15 minutes of the session.

Injury doubt: Chelsea could well be without key striker Joao Pedro against Brentford

The pair both miss out at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Marco Palestra and Emmanuel Emegha both miss out, with Alonso keen to keep Chelsea’s matchday squad under wraps.

Jordan Henderson, though, is in to make his competitive Chelsea debut against his former employers.