Chelsea will again be without Moises Caicedo when they face Leeds United in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, with manager Xabi Alonso refusing to take another risk with the midfielder.
Caicedo missed Chelsea’s opening two matches of the season before returning from injury as a substitute against Brighton. However, his comeback lasted just 14 minutes before he was forced off after experiencing pain.
The Ecuador international subsequently missed Sunday’s 2-1 defeat by Arsenal, with Alonso admitting after the game that Chelsea had probably brought him back too early against Brighton.
“It’s not longer term, but it’s about assessing the risk,” Alonso said. “Probably last week [against Brighton], we took him too early, and I don’t want to make the same mistake.”
Chelsea have now confirmed that Caicedo is not ready to return for Wednesday’s meeting with Leeds at Stamford Bridge. Alonso said there was no intention of taking an early risk with either the midfielder or fellow absentee Marco Palestra.
“No, not yet,” Alonso said when asked about the pair’s availability. “They are still not ready to go, and it’s not the moment to take an early risk. So we go game by game with them, but it’s too early.”
Caicedo’s absence is another blow for Alonso, who has already had to manage several fitness issues during the opening weeks of his Chelsea reign.
The 24-year-old’s importance to Chelsea was underlined by his absence against Arsenal, where the Blues eventually suffered their first defeat of the season. Alonso is therefore expected to take a cautious approach to his return rather than risk another setback.
Palestra, meanwhile, has yet to feature competitively for Chelsea after suffering an injury shortly before the opening game of the campaign.
Alonso admitted the situation has been frustrating for the Italian, who impressed during pre-season and arrived at Stamford Bridge with plenty of expectations.
“He came with huge energy, huge desire to enjoy his game in the Premier League,” Alonso said. “He had a very good pre-season and a few days before the first game against Fulham, he picked up an injury.”
Chelsea’s immediate focus is now on Wednesday’s Carabao Cup third-round tie against Leeds, but Alonso will be determined not to rush either Caicedo or Palestra back before they are fully ready.
