Chelsea
Chelsea Heading into Liverpool Game Missing Up to Eight Players
Maresca says Chelsea could be missing seven or eight players for Liverpool as injuries and bans bite
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca confirmed his squad will be significantly depleted for Saturday’s meeting with Liverpool, with injuries and suspension limiting his options. In his pre-match press conference Maresca returned repeatedly to the same point: “We have seven or eight players out.” He made the remark after highlighting the extent of the absences several times.
The most notable omission is Cole Palmer. The forward is being rested to protect a groin problem that has troubled him through the season, with the club hoping a short break will avoid surgery. “I don’t have any update at the moment,” he said of Palmer. “We have a meeting this week to see how it is.”
Chelsea’s defensive group is hit hard. Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill are all sidelined through injury, while Trevoh Chalobah must serve a suspension following his red card against Brighton & Hove Albion. In midfield the club is without Dário Essugo long term, and Andrey Santos has since joined him on the sidelines.
Striker Liam Delap is noted as likely to return from a hamstring problem in November, leaving Maresca to consider internal options and youth players to plug immediate gaps.
The manager signalled confidence in the club’s academy and recent young additions to cope with the shortfall. “I think it’s a fact that I really trust the young players. Not just the young players that we buy, but also the young players from the academy.
“Again, we gave games last year to Josh Acheampong, having players on the bench, senior players. So that shows that I trust young players. The same thing happened with Ty. So I really trust all the players we have. In this moment we have four or five defenders out. But we’re going to try to adapt and find the right solution for tomorrow.”
Maresca will have to reshape his selection as Chelsea prepare to face Liverpool at Stamford Bridge with a markedly reduced squad.
Chelsea
United lead interest in Vlahović as Juventus lower January price expectations
Manchester United are leading interest in Dušan Vlahović as Juventus seek to cut wage bills in Jan.
Manchester United have emerged as a leading suitor for Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović, with sources describing the club as “at the forefront” of those exploring a January move. Competition remains from both English and European rivals, with Chelsea also credited with interest.
Vlahović stayed at Juve after rejecting offers over the summer, but Gazzetta dello Sport reports he has been made available for sale in 2026. The striker is understood to be Juve’s No. 9 and is thought to be Serie A’s highest-paid player, on an annual salary of €12 million (£10.5 million, $14.1 million).
With his contract running toward expiry in June, Juventus have lowered their price expectations. There is talk that a fee in the region of €10–15 million could be acceptable in January, given the alternative of allowing him to leave on a free transfer at the end of the season. Offloading six months of Vlahović’s wages would also be seen as a significant financial relief for the club.
United invested in excess of €230 million during the summer window on a revamped frontline, the centre piece being Benjamin Šeško. Despite that expenditure, Ruben Amorim’s ailing outfit have scarcely enjoyed a considerable uplift in results, even if the underlying attacking numbers offer more encouragement.
Juventus strengthened their forward ranks by signing Loïs Openda and Jonathan David over the summer, leaving them with a surplus of strikers. That recruitment could force Juve to retain Vlahović until his contract expires.
Abroad, Bayern Munich are reportedly considering Vlahović as an affordable target next summer, according to BILD. The Bavarian club’s interest is linked to wider speculation over Harry Kane, who has been repeatedly connected with an exit in 2026 and is expected to be available for €65 million because of a clause in his contract.
The coming months are likely to test Juventus’ willingness to accept a reduced fee and United’s appetite to add another forward to a frontline already heavily bolstered in the summer.
Chelsea
Explaining Chelsea’s Early Red Card Problem
Chelsea’s early 2025-26 red card run has been costly; Maresca describes it as a momentary issue. Seen
Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea have suffered an unusually high number of dismissals at the start of the 2025-26 season. The Blues have seen red cards in consecutive Premier League matches, João Pedro picked up two bookings on Tuesday night, and Chelsea have been reduced to ten men in three of their previous four outings.
Last season Chelsea received just one Premier League red card, in May, when Nicolas Jackson was sent off for elbowing Newcastle United’s Sven Botman. Jackson also received a red card in the Club World Cup against Flamengo.
In attempting to explain the recent run, Maresca said: “The Newcastle and Flamengo red cards [earned by Nicolas Jackson last season] were for bad actions, then Sánchez [vs Man Utd] is not for a bad action, it’s just because he wants to defend the goal, Chalobah [vs Brighton] is because he wants to defend the goal,” Maresca said.
He added: “For me personally, it’s not any concern or issue, it’s just a moment probably you need to take a different option and avoid. Sometimes it’s better to concede the goal or the chance because then it’s 11 vs. 11.”
Maresca is not a coach who promotes aggression; his focus is clearly on positional principles rather than provoking contact. João Pedro’s two yellow cards are described as isolated incidents. Sánchez and Chalobah were both dismissed for denying goalscoring opportunities when opponents broke in behind the Chelsea defence, but the circumstances differ.
Tosin Adarabioyo was beaten in the air by Benjamin Šeško, which allowed Bryan Mbeumo to break through and be fouled by the retreating Chelsea goalkeeper, late to arrive after Šeško’s header. Chalobah’s red against Brighton stemmed from Andrey Santos’s poor touch while occupying a right centre back position; Kaoru Mitoma pounced and Chalobah caught Diego Gómez on the edge of the box.
Those events point to individual errors rather than a coherent pattern. The dismissed players were attempting to stop immediate threats, and Maresca frames the sequence as a short-term issue rather than a systemic problem.
Chelsea
Pedro’s Champions League Red Applies Only to Europe, Leaving Him Available for Liverpool
Pedro’s Champions League red carries a European-only ban, so he remains available for Liverpool this weekend.
João Pedro’s sending off against Benfica will not prevent him from playing for Chelsea in the Premier League at the weekend. The Brazilian’s dismissal came after he collected two yellow cards in the Champions League tie, which means the resulting suspension applies only to the club’s next European fixture.
Chelsea have had disciplinary issues in recent matches. In the Premier League outings against Manchester United and Brentford, Robert Sánchez and Trevoh Chalobah were both dismissed and the Blues took zero points from a possible six. Sánchez’s scything down of Bryan Mbeumo left Chelsea a player short after five minutes at Old Trafford; they trailed 2–0 before Casemiro’s second booking evened up the personnel. Then Chalobah’s red turned a 1–0 lead into a 3–1 defeat against Brentford.
On Tuesday, Facundo Buonanotte had already avoided further sanction, and what had been a drab Champions League contest, marked by José Mourinho’s Stamford Bridge return, looked to be winding down. In the sixth minute of stoppage time João Pedro stuck his boot towards the face of Leandro Barreiro. The absence of contact meant a booking would have sufficed, but Pedro had been booked within a minute of his second-half introduction. That produced another red card for Chelsea, the third in four games for the club.
Because the dismissal resulted from two yellow cards, the suspension affects Europe only. Pedro will therefore be available for Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Liverpool in west London. He will be suspended for Chelsea’s league phase encounter against Ajax on Oct. 22, and is due to return to Champions League action, barring injury, in Gameweek 4 when Maresca’s squad travel to Qarabag in Azerbaijan on Bonfire Night.
Chelsea are also unable to appeal Pedro’s suspension due to the fact that he received two yellow cards. It was the third sending off of his career.
