Joao Pedro has been ruled out of Chelsea's squad for Saturday evening's clash against Tottenham due to an injury currently under assessment. The 25-year-old striker, who leads the Blues' scoring charts in the top flight this season with five goals, has been deemed insufficiently fit for the home match with Spurs. Xabi Alonso caught many off guard by handing Geovany Quenda his full Premier League debut as Pedro's replacement.

In the only other change from the side that won against Everton last weekend, Mike Penders steps in for Emi Martinez, who was stretchered off during the match.

Chelsea boss Alonso offered an update on Pedro, telling Sky Sports: "Yesterday in training he felt something, and at the moment he has some liquid, so we have to do some tests to know how big the injury is. It's disappointing, but we need to carry on."

When asked about his surprise replacement, Quenda, Alonso replied: "He has many qualities. He attacks space well, he's good with the ball, he's goal threat and he's been training well. All the players will have their opportunity. Sometimes they need to be patient. Geo has been and today it's a big game to make your debut as a starter."