Alonso Confirms Caicedo and Palestra Out for Luton Clash

Chelsea will go into their Carabao Cup second-round clash with Luton Town on Thursday without two of their headline midfield options, as Xabi Alonso confirmed Moises Caicedo and Marco Palestra are both unavailable.

Both players also missed Chelsea’s 3–2 Premier League opening-day win over Fulham, and Alonso shut down any hope of a swift return when he faced the media on Wednesday.

“Not for tomorrow, both won’t make it [against Luton],” the Chelsea head coach said, drawing a firm line under their chances of featuring at Stamford Bridge.

There is a hint of better news on the horizon for Caicedo. Alonso is cautiously optimistic the Ecuadorian could be back in contention for league duty.

“Let’s see, hopefully Moi could make it for the weekend, but we need to check a little bit more with Marco,” he added, underlining that Palestra’s situation requires further assessment.

The rest of the squad, though, is in far healthier shape. Those involved on Monday are available, with Alonso confirming Cole Palmer has shaken off any concerns and is “absolutely fine” ahead of the cup tie.

There is also an opening for one of Chelsea’s emerging names. “Penders is part of the squad, so he has an opportunity,” Alonso said, signalling that the cup could again be a stage for a younger player to stake a claim.

Chelsea’s midfield resources will be stretched for Luton, but the message from the dugout is clear: the door is open for someone else to grab the moment.