Palestra, Caicedo: Latest On Chelsea Pair After Xabi Alonso Confirms Double Setback

Xabi Alonso confirmed Moises Caicedo and Marco Palestra missed Chelsea's 3-2 win over Fulham on Monday due to "minor" fitness issues.

There were some surprises on the Chelsea team sheet for the opening match against Fulham.

The front three were as expected. Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers operated behind Joao Pedro, who played the role of a lone striker. However, there were changes in defence and midfield.

Neither Caicedo nor Palestra made the squad. Instead, Alonso paired Reece James with Romeo Lavia in midfield, while Malo Gusto and Jorrel Hato started at right and left wing-backs, respectively.

Both Caicedo and Palestra started in Chelsea’s final pre-season win over Real Sociedad just over a week ago, so their absences understandably raised some eyebrows.

Alonso confirmed that the pair missed out due to fitness issues, albeit nothing serious.

“They had minor setbacks during the week, so they were not fit to play tonight,” the Spaniard explained in a pre-match interview.

Chelsea's performance at Craven Cottage was far from convincing, and they had to dig deep to defend a one-goal lead for most of the second half.

Fulham dominated possession of the ball (62 per cent), although Chelsea created more big chances (four to two).

While Lavia and James played quite well, Caicedo’s absence was clearly felt in midfield. Without the Ecuador international’s exceptional ability to cover the pitch, the two Chelsea wing-backs did not have as much freedom to join the attack.

Maxence Lacroix was among the standout performers for the visitors in his official debut. It was unfortunate that Chelsea conceded two cheap goals in this game.

Robert Sanchez was beaten at the near post for Fulham’s first goal, before his poor parry allowed Gonzalo Garcia to score their second, cutting Chelsea's lead back to one.

In the end, the strong display from the front three proved enough, as Joao Pedro, Palmer, and Rogers scored a goal apiece. Rogers scored his first official goal for Chelsea on his debut, while Joao Pedro and Palmer each bagged an assist.

A win is a win, and Chelsea started their 2026/27 on a positive note.

It is also worth mentioning that despite the absence of their midfield engine, Chelsea covered more ground (123.2km) than any other Premier League side in the opening week.

As it stands, it remains unclear whether Caicedo and Palestra will be able to return in time for Chelsea’s League Cup second-round tie against League One side Luton Town on Thursday.

Alonso is expected to rotate the team heavily for the cup game, and it seems unlikely that he would take risks in this tie. Instead, the two absentees will hopefully make their returns when Chelsea host Brighton at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.