Chelsea will face Tottenham in Saturday’s London derby without leading scorer João Pedro in the matchday squad.

Morgan Rogers has been handed the central striking role for Chelsea, while Geovany Quenda comes into the XI for his first Premier League start on the left wing. Pedro’s absence is the major talking point, with Chelsea yet to offer a formal explanation for leaving him out.

Kieran Gill reported that the striker has picked up an injury and will need further scans. That comes after a knee issue ruled him out of the 3-0 defeat to Brentford before the international break and also kept him out of the Brazil squad during the September-October window. He did, however, return immediately afterwards.

Pedro responded with two goals against Bournemouth, before drawing a blank against Everton in his most recent appearance. He played 92 minutes in that match before being replaced by Welbeck in the closing stages. There had been no obvious sign of a problem, and Alonso did not refer to any issue in his prematch press conference.

Malo Gusto is back in the squad after illness, but Pep Chavarría remains unavailable through injury. Emiliano Martínez is also missing after undergoing surgery on a broken jaw sustained last time out, and Mike Penders comes in for the Argentine.

Summer signing Emmanuel Emegha is still not ready for selection. The former Strasbourg man was injured in preseason, though he is believed to be nearing a delayed debut. With Pedro unexpectedly absent, his return would have been a useful option for this match, but it will not come against Spurs.

Chelsea have been handed a clear setback after Emiliano Martínez required emergency surgery on a fractured jaw suffered against Everton last weekend. Xabi Alonso stopped short of offering a firm comeback date, saying the goalkeeper should be back in “a few weeks.”

Martínez also posted from the hospital after the operation and gave the same broad assessment of his recovery, saying he would be “back in a few weeks.” Alonso confirmed that the injury was not limited to the jaw issue, adding that Martínez suffered a concussion. Under English Football Association rules, that means he is ruled out for at least 14 days.

Speaking on the eve of Saturday’s London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, Alonso said the goalkeeper was progressing well but still needed time.

“He’s doing better,” Alonso said. “He had the surgery, and day by day, he’s feeling better, but we still need to wait.”

“Few weeks, few weeks,” he repeated about Martínez’s projected return. “Hopefully less than more, but we need to wait. The good thing is that he’s feeling better and that he wants to listen to his feelings, the opinion of the doctors, the specialists, the surgeons. Considering it was a bad one, he’s doing good.”

With Martínez unavailable, 21-year-old Mike Penders is set to take over for Chelsea in the coming matches. The Belgian made his first Premier League appearance when he replaced Martínez late against Everton, producing one save as Chelsea recorded their first clean sheet of the league season.

Penders began the campaign as Robert Sánchez’s deputy and remained second choice after Martínez arrived and Sánchez moved on to Como. Chelsea have long viewed him as a major talent after signing him as a teenager in the summer of 2024, and Alonso believes he is ready for the step up.

“He’s ready,” Alonso stated. “He’s been training well, he’s played a couple of cup games where he showed that he has a good level, even the day when he came on against Everton, in a few minutes he showed his personality, his qualities. That’s why we have a squad to be ready for these kinds of situations, and we are fully convinced that Mike can play very well.”

Alonso also said Penders is a goalkeeper for both the present and the future, and noted the support he has received by working alongside Martínez. The comparison to Thibaut Courtois has also been made before, with Alonso again underlining the similarities in size, style and left-footedness.

The Premier League returns after another midweek round of continental action involving nine English clubs, and Gameweek 8 arrives with little room for recovery. Several of the league’s biggest sides are back in action quickly, while a number of awkward fixtures could shape the standings before the weekend is over.

Friday’s opener at Portman Road looks finely balanced. Ipswich Town have collected nine points from seven matches and have taken two-thirds of that tally at home, with wins over Sunderland and Fulham lifting them to 10th. Nottingham Forest, however, arrive with their own issues, and goals have been difficult to come by for the Tricky Trees. A draw feels the likeliest outcome.

Aston Villa’s meeting with Man City is one of the standout fixtures on Saturday. Villa have won five of their last six, while City have maintained a perfect Premier League run, though their domestic record remains surrounded by uncertainty off the pitch. Even so, their form under Pep Guardiola has been efficient, and with Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden in encouraging touch, they are tipped to edge it.

Arsenal are expected to keep pace at the top with a home win over Everton. The Gunners remain defensively solid, even if their attack will be without Bukayo Saka, while Everton are likely to sit deep and counter through Thierno Barry, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jack Grealish.

Chelsea’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur closes Saturday and the home side look strong favourites. Spurs have won only once at Stamford Bridge in 25 years, while Chelsea have scored 17 goals in seven matches under Xabi Alonso. João Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers have all been in form.

Elsewhere, Liverpool’s meeting with Brighton has the feel of a high-scoring draw, Man Utd are predicted to share the points with Bournemouth, and Sunderland’s test against Leeds United could be decided by fatigue after their trip to Poland.