Chelsea are back in Premier League action this weekend, when they travel to the North East to take on Sunderland this Sunday afternoon. The Blues will head into the match in good spirits, having defeated Manchester United 2-0 at Stamford Bridge last weekend, thanks to goals from Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer.

Heading into their Gameweek 10 clash at the Stadium of Light, Blues boss Xabi Alonso has a number of injury concerns to contend with. Jorrel Hato could miss the game with a back problem, Jordan Henderson is recovering from illness, while it remains to be seen whether Emi Martinez will be able to play after suffering a fractured jaw against Everton last month. Joao Pedro, Maxence Lacroix, Jamie Gittens and Reece James all have long-term injury issues.

In the past, Chelsea once boasted a phenomenal record against the Black Cats, winning 17 of their 18 meetings between 2002 and 2013. Things have changed in recent times, however, with Sunderland beating Chelsea in both their fixtures last season. As the Blues go through their final preparations to face Regis Le Bris’ struggling Sunderland, this is the most likely starting XI Alonso will field.

Will Emi Martinez play against Sunderland?

A big question ahead of Chelsea’s clash against Sunderland has been whether Emi Martinez will return in goal, following his serious injury against Everton. While the Argentina international has been back in training this week wearing a protective mask, Alonso may well err on the side of caution and stick with understudy Mike Penders for now.

Alonso is expected to play his favoured 3-4-2-1 formation against Sunderland. Following the aforementioned injury to Lacroix, the Blues are rather short of numbers when it comes to defensive options. Wesley Fofana, who was elbowed in the head against Man United to win his side a penalty, is expected to keep his starting spot ahead of this weekend.

Fofana will likely be flanked by Levi Colwill, who missed most of last season through injury, and England under-21 star Josh Acheampong, who continues to impress after getting plenty of game time this season. He was linked with a move away to Crystal Palace last summer, but ultimately decided to remain at Stamford Bridge.

Pedro Neto is a player who looked to have little in the way of a future at the club last season, and was heavily linked with a summer move to the Saudi Pro League. He’s pulled up his socks and turned things round in fine fashion, after knuckling down and reinventing himself as a wing-back. He’ll start on the right, while Pep Chavarria could feature on the left, coming in for Marco Palestra.

When will Joao Pedro be back from injury?

Henderson should be fit and ready to go this weekend, after missing the win over Man United through illness. However, Romeo Lavia was so impressive last weekend that he’s likely to hold on to his spot in the heart of midfield, and should be paired with £100m star man Moises Caicedo once again.

Estevao did everything but score a goal against Man United, and gave Alonso some real food for thought when it comes to selecting his side. The Brazilian wonderkid looks set to start again this weekend, and could cause the Sunderland defence all manner of problems with his dynamic dribbling and lightning quick pace in attack.

Next to Estevao, Palmer is set to take up the other attacking midfield position. He’s yet to really take off in terms of goals and assists so far this season, but will be hoping to fill his boots against the shaky Black Cats defence. With Pedro likely to be out until late November, Morgan Rogers will lead the line as a makeshift striker.