Can Joao Pedro Suit Up and Ignite Chelsea's Attack Against Brentford in the Premier League?

João Pedro has not been ruled out of Chelsea's Friday evening clash with Brentford, as Xabi Alonso is holding off on any fitness decision regarding the Brazilian until matchday.

Pedro leads Chelsea's scoring charts in the opening weeks of the 2026–27 campaign. However, the forward picked up a knee injury during last weekend's 2–2 stalemate with Hull City, a game in which he both scored and set up a goal. That was enough for Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti to act, dropping Pedro from his squad ahead of upcoming international friendlies against Australia and India.

Alonso, though, is taking a wait-and-see approach with the situation.

"Regarding injuries and the squad, we have our final training session tomorrow, so nobody has been ruled out for Friday," the Chelsea manager said on Thursday. "I'd rather be cautious, and we'll wait until tomorrow before making the final call on each player."

When directly asked whether he could confirm Pedro was injured, Alonso simply responded: "No."

Despite Brazil opting not to risk the player — who is missing his first real chance to impress Ancelotti after being controversially left out of the 2026 World Cup — Alonso indicated it remains a "possibility" that Pedro could still feature for Chelsea on Friday.

How Chelsea Can Replace Joao Pedro

Pedro has featured for the full 90 minutes in every Chelsea Premier League outing this season, already accumulating six goal contributions across four league appearances. Only Erling Haaland (4) has netted more than his three goals in the early Golden Boot standings.

He is among Alonso's most automatic selections, which is precisely why Chelsea moved to sign Danny Welbeck over the summer. The experienced former Manchester United and Arsenal striker has managed just 15 minutes of Premier League action but has started both Carabao Cup ties the Blues have played when Pedro was given a rest.

Welbeck has found the net three times across those starts against Luton Town and Leeds United, making him a reliable backup option for Pedro. Chelsea also have Emmanuel Emegha yet to make his debut. The Dutch forward, signed from Strasbourg in the summer and kept ahead of Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson, has been sidelined by injury before getting a chance to play.

Emegha, whose sole matchday involvement saw him remain an unused substitute against Luton, is expected to be in contention for the Brentford fixture. However, like Pedro, his availability could come down to a game-day decision.