Caicedo out, Hull City at the Bridge
Moises Caicedo misses the Hull City game with a calf injury (2). Everything else about the fixture is clean: Stamford Bridge, Saturday, 16:00 CEST, and it is the day you try to put the Arsenal defeat behind you (2) (7).
Your team sits fourth with six points from three games. The form line reads W W L (2) (7). Hull arrive as the next chance to move again.
That 2–1 loss at Arsenal on Sunday, September 6 is the one to bury. Three wins from four in the league and the mood changes fast.
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Alonso says Palestra is close
Marco Palestra is nearly back from a quad injury. Xabi Alonso gave a clear window.
"The injury is something on the quad," Alonso said. "He's almost in the last stages of the recovery, so we will see. If not (fit for) Brentford, then Bournemouth for sure." (4)
Brentford away is Friday, September 18. If he misses that, Bournemouth is the next stop.
Neto signs until 2032
Pedro Neto is staying. He signed a new Chelsea contract running to 2032, after Manchester City came asking during the summer (5).
Neto could have gone. He stayed, and he is now locked in as a long-term option in Alonso's attack (5).
Alonso on Joao Pedro: Benzema and Haaland in one line
Xabi Alonso did not hold back on Joao Pedro (6).
The manager compared him stylistically to Karim Benzema, his old Real Madrid teammate, and put him at Erling Haaland's level (6).
Alonso took the blame for the Leeds half
Chelsea 6–3 Leeds in the Carabao Cup, and it was still a rough first half. Alonso owned it (1) (3).
The comeback finished the job. Nine goals in the tie, and your team goes through (1).
Xhaka called Chelsea interest a privilege
Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka on Chelsea's summer interest: a "big privilege" (8).
He is still at Sunderland. Nothing moved, but he said it out loud (8).
Fan reactions
The Chelsea corner of Reddit is mostly warm ahead of Saturday. A club post celebrating Danny drew plenty of love, and the mood is light around a home game fans expect to win (thread). Elsewhere, Hull City were fined £30,000 by the FA over homophobic chanting by a section of their supporters during February's FA Cup tie with Chelsea (thread).
