Xabi Alonso first explained that Emiliano Martinez is in contention to replace Mike Penders in goal against Sunderland. Martinez has missed the last few games after suffering a broken jaw in the 2-0 win against Everton.

“Tomorrow, we have our last training session for Sunday and we will decide but he’s training well,” Alonso said. “It’s very good that Emi has made a great effort to be back. He’s been ahead of the plan to be part of the team. We will check tomorrow and make the final decision on Sunday.”

Alonso also revealed that Moises Caicedo is not dealing with a calf injury, as some had speculated after the Man Utd game. However, the Ecuador international is struggling with “discomfort”, and no decision has been made on his availability this weekend.

The Chelsea boss added: “Well, he had a little problem after the last game, so we expect to check if it’s a different situation tomorrow.” It’s more of a discomfort than a calf [injury].”

Joao Pedro and Maxence Lacroix are set to remain sidelined until at least after the international break. Neither player has been called up by their respective national teams.

“No, there’s not really an update,” Alonso said about Pedro and Lacroix. “For sure, we are not expecting them [to train] tomorrow. That’s clear. After the two-week international break, let’s see how they recover and the progress they make. Ahead of the Leeds game, I will have more updates, but not today.”

Many expected Jorrel Hato to return against Sunderland after Alonso suggested in his last press conference that he only had a minor back issue. However, the left-back has been ruled out until after the international break, and potentially longer.

Alonso continued: “No, he’s not fit yet. He will take some more weeks. Maybe after the international break, but it’s going to take longer.”

Finally, the Spanish manager shared some positive news on Aaron Anselmino. The centre-back has been training for over a week and is ready to play for Argentina in their upcoming friendlies against Uruguay and Costa Rica.

“Anselmino has been called up by Argentina,” Alonso responded, without saying whether he would play against Sunderland. “They asked us and he’s been training better for the last 10 days. It’s very important for him to get his call-up.”