Xabi Alonso has put his players through their paces ahead of Chelsea's clash against Manchester United.

Xabi Alonso has finalised preparations at Cobham Training Ground ahead of Chelsea's clash against Manchester United.

The Blues have had plenty of work to do following a couple of disappointing defeats to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League and Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, so they'll be determined to return to winning ways at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.

Unlike Michael Carrick, who has had the week to prepare for the game, Alonso has only had a few hours with his squad on the grass. The Chelsea manager will hope the little time at the training base in Surrey has been put to good use, as they look to climb the English top flight.

Last weekend, the Blues fell to fifth in the Premier League after losing to Spurs, conceding significant ground in the race for Champions League qualification; if results across the country don't go their way, they could fall even further down the table.

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So, with that being said, football.london has looked at five things you have missed in Chelsea training this week.

Chelsea youngster eyes senior debut

Tayo Subuloye trained with the first-team on Thursday. The 18-year-old defender, who was an unused substitute at Anfield on Wednesday evening, could make his senior debut sooner rather than later, with Maxence Lacroix nursing a hamstring injury and Wesley Fofana falling short of expectations.

Aaron Anselmino had a couple of thigh problems at the start of the season, but he appears to be below Subuloye in the pecking order, having made the matchday squad just once across all competitions. As it stands, it remains unclear how Alonso plans to compensate for the absence of his main man at the back, so the Cobham graduate will hope to have made a good impression.

Other Chelsea youngster involved too

Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli was also invited to train with the first-team on Thursday. The 16-year-old midfielder first caught the eye during the pre-season tour of Australia and Asia before making his senior debut off the bench just before the previous international break.

Moises Caicedo appeared to suffer a knock during the second half of Chelsea's clash against Liverpool on Tuesday night, sparking fears he could miss the game against Manchester United. While the likes of Valentin Barco, Jordan Henderson, or Romeo Lavia could fill his shoes, Alonso may be inclined to throw Nicoll-Jazuli in the deep end.

Palmer back in action

Cole Palmer was, of course, back in action at Cobham Training Ground on Thursday. The 24-year-old midfielder, who missed Tuesday night's defeat on penalties due to suspension, was not spotted on the grass in the build-up to the Carabao Cup fourth round tie, so Alonso will hope he's fresh and ready to fire on all cylinders.

Estevao continues working hard

Estevao was one of the few Chelsea players spotted out on the grass at the training base in Surrey. The 19-year-old winger appeared to be working hard, despite the few opportunities he's had in the starting lineup.

Caicedo one of many absent big names

Caicedo was one of many big names to miss training at Cobham on Thursday. Although the 24-year-old midfielder suffered a minor knock against Liverpool, according to Alonso at least, in his post-match press conference, it appeared as if those in the starting lineup were given some respite.

Meanwhile, those who either didn't play or just came off the bench on Tuesday night trained in a small group just to get the blood flowing. The one exception seemed to be Emmanuel Emegha, who was brought on late at Anfield but was not pictured in the recovery session.

There will be a final training session today, where some of those big names are hopefully back in action.