“It's a discomfort, more than his calf,” Xabi Alonso said before Chelsea's trip to Sunderland. The manager's update points to Moisés Caicedo being available to start at the Stadium of Light on Sunday, while Emiliano Martínez has been left out of the squad.
Caicedo's fitness check
Caicedo had been a doubt for Sunderland vs Chelsea after not being spotted in training during the week. Alonso said he had “little problems after the last game” and that Chelsea would “check tomorrow on different situations and Moi is one of them.”
That leaves Chelsea with a late call answered in one direction. Caicedo has played 5 Premier League matches this season and logged 355 minutes, so this is not a routine precaution on a fringe player. He has been involved enough for his absence to matter in a game that kicks off at 2pm GMT, with team news due at 12.45pm GMT.
Martinez left out
Martínez's omission comes with a different background. Sports Mole reported that he has been left out of Sunday's Premier League fixture after a fractured jaw against Everton on 17 October, while Alonso's comments focused on Caicedo's discomfort rather than a calf issue.
Chelsea also have recent history at the Stadium of Light in their minds. They were beaten 2-1 there on the final day of last season, and this visit arrives with Chelsea fourth in the Premier League on 16 points from 9 matches. Sunderland are bottom with 5 points from 9 games, so the team news matters, but the line-up will still need to do the work once it is released.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
