Chelsea take on Sunderland at the Stadium of Light this Sunday and will be without a few of their first-team players.

Summer signing Maxence Lacroix could be out until 2027, so the defender will definitely miss the trip to Wearside. After fracturing his jaw, Emiliano Martinez could be back sooner than expected, but he is also a doubt for now.

Xabi Alonso could do with Brian Brobbey after Joao Pedro injury

Had Chelsea signed him in the summer, Sunderland’s Brian Brobbey would have been a decent back-up option to Pedro. The 24-year-old is a player they were thought to be tracking at one point.

Last season, it was claimed that Chelsea were scouting Brobbey, who has impressed at the Stadium of Light. Brobbey is not the most prolific centre-forward yet. During the 2025/26 Premier League campaign, he scored seven goals in 31 appearances.

However, his all-round centre-forward play is brilliant. Brobbey can hold up the ball with his strength and really go toe-to-toe with central defenders. He is a great fit for this division.

Ultimately, he is an excellent focal point, which is what Chelsea have lacked following Pedro’s injury. The Blues were able to beat Manchester United 2-0 over the weekend, but Pedro Neto could not hold the ball up like Pedro or Brobbey.

The weekend before, it was a similar story when Morgan Rogers was leading the line. Rogers is an exceptional attacker, and unlike Neto, he probably does have the physique and strength to hold up the ball. We did not see that in Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, though. He probably needs more time learning the position.

For whatever reason, Xabi Alonso does not seem to trust Danny Welbeck yet. Despite the 35-year-old being a natural option to replace the injured Pedro, Alonso did not start him against United or Spurs.

Sunderland are not doing well right now, but the Stadium of Light can be a tough ground to play at. This could be the kind of fixture away from home when you need your centre-forward with his back to goal as he shields the ball.

Brobbey can do that, but he will be doing it for Sunderland instead of Chelsea, who would probably not mind having him as an option right now amid Pedro’s absence.