At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are preparing to welcome back Moisés Caicedo after the Ecuador midfielder completed his recovery from the muscle problem that has kept him out for around six weeks.
Caicedo is available for Saturday’s home meeting with Bournemouth, with Xabi Alonso confirming on Friday that the 23-year-old is ready to return to the matchday picture. The midfielder’s absence has been felt in a difficult early stretch for Chelsea, who sit 10th and are eight points behind leaders Manchester City.
Caicedo ready after limited start
The Ecuador international has barely featured this season, playing only 14 minutes so far. His lone appearance came against Brighton & Hove Albion on 30 August, in the second round of the Premier League campaign.
He has missed Chelsea’s following four fixtures while recovering, but Alonso said the club had used the intervening weeks to rebuild his condition.
“He is ready to play,” Alonso said. “We have used these weeks to get him back into shape and he has trained well. Any side would miss a player with his quality and importance. We have missed him, and we are happy to have him back. He feels better.”
Several returns for Bournemouth visit
Caicedo is not the only player returning as Chelsea seek a response in west London. Marco Palestra, who has yet to make an appearance, is again available, along with João Pedro, Reece James and Cole Palmer.
The Bournemouth match carries added weight after Chelsea failed to win each of their past three league outings, against Arsenal, Hull City and Brentford. With the gap to Manchester City already at eight points, Alonso’s side need to turn their returning personnel into a more convincing result at home.
